


My Heaven And My Hell

by RebelPaisley



Series: Pauper Chad [3]
Category: Descendants (Disney Movies)
Genre: Adult Language, Angst, Arguments, Brief reference to suicide of off-screen character, Complete, Confrontations, Coronation, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Cuddling, Depresive Episode, Depression, F/F, F/M, Happy Ending, Healing, Heartache, Insecurity, Jealousy, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Multi, No Beta we die like vikings, OT9 - Freeform, Pampering, Polyamory, Private Retreat, Ravishment, Relationship Problems, Romance, Self-Esteem Issues, Sexual Situations, Unresolved Tension, emotional breakdown, ex-lovers, impromptu wedding, physical altercation, post descendants 3, relationship therapy, shared bath, time skip
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-27
Updated: 2020-06-03
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:01:03
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 24,181
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24408448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RebelPaisley/pseuds/RebelPaisley
Summary: Starting over is never easy, but with Doug and Evie by Chad’s side, things seem a bit more manageable.  Of course, that’s before Duke Adam drags them right back into the lion’s den, but if Chad survived his last breakup, he could probably survive this.  Probably.Also known as: Chad’s adventures in playing relationship counselor for the mess of people he used to/still loves, and getting through it without tearing his hair out.As you can imagine, Harry does not make this easy.
Relationships: Ben/Chad Charming/Doug/Evie/Jay/Mal/Gil/Harry Hook/Uma, Ben/Doug, Ben/Evie (Disney: Descendants), Ben/Jay/Mal/Gil/Harry Hook/Uma, Ben/Mal (Disney: Descendants), Chad Charming/Doug/Evie, Evie/Mal (Disney), Gil/Harry Hook/Uma
Series: Pauper Chad [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677844
Comments: 73
Kudos: 87





	1. Into the Lion's Den

Strange how big a difference eighteen months could make. Chad’s original return to Sardinia had been wrought with depression and melancholy, but in time, things had become… manageable. Evie and Doug helped in a big way. They gave him something to fight for, which, while likely not all that healthy, _worked_ for Chad. He needed hope, needed a solid foundation for the future, and with Doug and Evie, he got that. They didn’t pressure him, they merely supported him, acting as faithful confidants and knowledgeful sounding boards when Chad was feeling too wound up to consider moving forward. 

Chad did love them, in a quiet way, though no less poignant than the flames he’d held previously. Where what he’d had before had been fire, something he’d latched onto with unspoken desperation – what he had with Evie and Doug was private, for them alone. They had never made a formal announcement of their courtship, but they spent most nights together, talked every day they couldn’t see each other, and had a constant net of communication that they regularly worked to improve.

It wasn’t perfect. Chad still couldn’t hang out with most of their friends – his ex-lovers. He contacted Gil on occasion, but everyone else was a touchy subject, one Chad tried desperately not to revisit. Granted, he couldn’t avoid _Ben_ forever. Chad would be on his council one day, after all, but Chad’s father (King Christopher – they’d decided that King Erik could be ‘papa’) had agreed to maintain his post as the Sardinia liaison to Auradon until Chad was in his late twenties, at least until he felt capable of facing his king without being overcome by humiliation and the certain knowledge that Ben thought he was a stupid idiot who didn’t know his own feelings. 

The one _microscopic_ compensation Chad could take from this mess – aside from gaining partners who actively spoke to him and trusted his mind – was the fact that the grand wedding of King Benjamin Florian and his army of beaus had been postponed to a later date. Even a year-and-a-half later they had yet to select a new wedding date, which Chad wasn’t sure if he should take as a comfort or not. Maybe they had realized they were rushing into things. Maybe they were taking their time to really explore their relationships with each other until they were entirely prepared for the commitment. 

Whatever it was, Chad was glad they had canceled the initial wedding – the one he had helped plan so much for, because if he’d had to go as a _guest_ he’d have likely spent the entire time bawling his eyes out, assuming he was invited at all. 

He wouldn’t be, because Duke Adam wasn’t stupid, but if he _was_ it would be horrible, even with Doug and Evie by his side. 

Still, there was no point in dwelling on the past. All that mattered now was the future – improving Sardinia and helping with Hanover and hoping, by some form of measure, that one day he would feel ready to be king.

Unfortunately, that time was coming closer than he’d like, at least in one regard. 

-:-:-:-:-:-

“Smile,” Evie reminded him as Chad continued to greet the seemingly non-stop stream of royal guests that had attended his coronation. 

“I am smiling,” Chad murmured back, but he took the prompt for what it was and forced himself to relax, therefor making his grin seem closer to ‘charming’ rather than ‘pained’.

“That’s it,” she cooed under her breath, choosing to compliment him between graciously thanking the ruling families of Auradon as they approached one-by-one, each offering their firm congratulations on the momentous occasion. “Just like that. Down-to-earth but kind. Noble even if you aren’t feeling it.”

“That’s always the trouble, isn’t it?” Chad whispered back, thinking about all the consort training he had to undo for being sweet and doting that needed to shift into a persona more appropriate for a leader. There were some days where he was better at it than others, but fortunately, today was one of them. “I so rarely feel noble.”

“The secret is we all feel that way,” Evie assured him the same way she had a hundred times before, allowing the skirt of her dress to ever so slightly brush against his dress pants before continuing to see to her duties as Crown Princess of Hanover, welcoming the visiting royals to the coronation celebration. “We just get very good at pretending. All you’ve got to do is last a few more hours – a couple of obligatory dances and then you can hide with your father and Snow in the VIP section.”

“You could just call it a private balcony,” Chad said, gaze drifting towards the secluded area overlooking the ballroom. “That’s what it is.”

Evie’s perfectly painted lips pulled into the tiniest of smirks. “My name is better.”

They greeted the next royal family – Queen Rapunzel and King Horace with their daughter Princess Ruby, who Chad had always liked – and turned their attention to their dwindling line, Chad trying to mask the way his stomach fell when he caught sight of the last person he wanted to see.

“You knew they were coming,” Evie whispered, likely seeing his tension, however minute the reaction had been. “Ben couldn’t miss the crowning of one of his peers.”

“It’s just the _Huntsmen_ Crown,” Chad shot back, and granted, while the Huntsmen Crown had significant cultural significance to Hanover, it didn’t wield a lot of power outside of it. Despite this, Chad had done his best to follow in his papa’s footsteps, training and completing the same trials King Erik had taken before him, until he was at last worthy enough to wear the ring his papa had left behind, and be crowned with the circlet he had once worn himself. 

Within Hanover, it technically made Chad the head of their military force, which was normally an honor not bestowed to non-Hanoven citizens, but an exception had been made for Chad, who had been raised and groomed by the former king himself. 

“There is no crown that is _just_ anything,” Evie shot back firmly, the same way she had any other time Chad tried to downplay his accomplishments. “You did an amazing thing, Kit. That deserves the ceremony and the celebration and attention from the King of Auradon, as little as you like it.”

“I just wish he hadn’t brought all of them,” Chad murmured, stomach filling up with lead. “It’s hard enough dealing with these dance protocols as it is. Are you sure I’m not going to have to take them out on the floor?”

“You might if they were married,” Evie hummed. “But as fiancés, Mal is the only one with any sort of noble authority.” As Lady of the Court. “It isn’t enough to rank your attention, and no one would fault you for not dancing with the king.”

“So that just leaves you, my mom, Dizzy, and Doug.” Chad had already said the list several times that day, mostly for his own comfort. He wasn’t in danger of really forgetting any of it.

Evie huffed out a small laugh. “You don’t have to dance with Doug.”

“Having and wanting to are very different things,” Chad reminded her, the same way he had every other time she’d brought it up, and even if they didn’t have the benefit of Doug lingering nearby to coax into a lovely flustered state, Chad still felt marginally better having said it.

“Flatterer,” she murmured, straightening up from a slight curtsy with perfect posture. “Now, guard yourself. Here they come.”

Through extensive practice with Evie, Chad was able to maintain a disposition of polite welcome despite the fact that his heart felt like it wanted to beat out of his chest. It had been a long time since he’d seen Ben and the others in person, having gone directly out of his way to avoid them, and seeing them now wasn’t any easier than it had been before. Staring at newspaper articles and video clips didn’t do any of them sufficient justice, but Chad was an old hand at guarding how he was feeling, and as such, he was able to take in the king’s approach with a warm smile.

“Congratulations, Chad.” Ben grinned – Mal, as always, hanging on his arm, the two of them flanked on each side by Uma and Harry, and Jay and Gil respectively. They really were a lovely image, perfectly balanced with even numbers.

Chad slid into a fluid bow, catching Evie’s deep curtsy out of the corner of his eyes. “Thank you, your majesty,” he replied, using every ounce of restraint he had not to punch Ben in the face, or throw himself into his arms, or desperately run away, which was what he mostly wanted to do. “We’re honored by your presence.”

“It’s our pleasure,” Mal said, words bearing a slight edge because she had never really perfected the art of public speaking. She seemed uneasy with Chad’s inclusion of Evie, even though proper decorum guaranteed it as perfectly respectable.

“Come then,” Chad said, wishing this entire conversation didn’t seem so stilted and impersonal. “The festivities are about to begin.”

“We have a special viewing area for his majesty and his fiancés,” Evie added smoothly, covering up Chad’s stiff conversation. “If you’d follow me?”

Ben was too well trained to act surprised, but Chad could read it in the tightness at the corner of his eyes, could see the weariness on him as easily as anything else. None of Chad’s exes seemed particularly rested, but that wasn’t something he was allowed to be concerned about anymore, least of all here, when he was expected to give the first dance. 

Ben and the others followed Evie as prompted, Chad moving to slip away to get things started. The faster things began, the faster they ended, and he could spend his evening cuddling with Doug and Evie. 

Gil looked like he wanted to stay behind, maybe talk to Chad, but Jay carefully tugged him forward, following after the others who may or may not seem uneasy, but that was no longer Chad’s problem. He had to constantly remind himself of that. _They_ were not his problem anymore. 

Instead of dwelling on his in a self-destructive urge, Chad nodded to Doc, who graciously took his position on the raised herald pedestal to announce the first dance.

“Ladies and Gentleman,” came Doc’s firm voice through the speakers. “Presenting his majesty, King Chadwick James – champion of the Huntsmen Crown!”

The crowd cheered appropriately as Chad offered them polite waves, making short work to cut across the floor and retrieve Dizzy – now Princess Elizabeth (by royal decree of _Chad_ , because if he was going to stumble through this royalty thing, he wasn’t doing it alone). 

“He will now begin the festivities by inviting Princess Elizabeth Tremaine of Sardinia out for the first dance!”

There was another polite scattering of applause, Dizzy giggling in Chad’s arms as she was given the attention she deserved, and then _finally_ the band started up, Chad taking his cousin on a well-practiced spin across the dancefloor. 

After they brought in the ball, his father took to the floor with Queen Snow while Chad danced with Evie. When all of the royal couples flooded the dancefloor, Chad retrieved Doug, danced with him, and _then_ Queen Snow. He even took Miss Charlotte out for a spin, who was as graceful and poised as always. After she had pulled Chad from his depressed slump, his father had decided to hire her on full-time as Chad’s assistant, though she also helped Doug train to be consort. Chad and Evie took time to consult with the mentor in order to review Doug’s lesson plans to ensure they weren’t too harsh (something that had never been done for Chad) and Doug thrived under their combined attention, though to be fair, he was already great to begin with.

When Chad had satisfied his dance card, he finally made a tactful retreat to the upper balcony, where he could be seen smiling politely watching over the festivities, taking comfort in the fact that Ben and the others were as far away as they could possibly be.

Evie found him not long later, interrupting Chad’s conversation with Grumpy about potential rune applications once the Magic Ban was completely lifted.

“You can’t keep using Dizzy as a shield forever,” Evie murmured, passing over a cup of Bärenjäger, a vodka-based, honey flavored drink. While Chad was still a few months shy of twenty-one, no one was going to hold this indulgence against him, not at his own _coronation_ , when the weight of his father’s circlet seemed so pointedly foreign on his head.

“Sure, I can,” Chad hummed into the lip of his cup. “We’re family. What else is family good for if not sharing the load of stupid ceremonial obligations?”

“People are going to expect you to move on eventually.” It was an old conversation, but not one that ruffled any feathers. If anything, Chad took comfort in the repetition. “They still think you’re hung up on-”

“Maybe I am,” Chad interrupted the same way he always did. “And maybe I’m not. It’s none of their business.”

“That’s true,” Evie agreed, taking a sip of her own drink. Chad tried not to stare at the way her lipstick stained the rim of her cup. “I just… wish I could make it easier for you.”

For the first time since the celebratory ball had started, Chad managed a smile was actually genuine. “You do,” he assured her, kept his tone gentle because he couldn’t reach out and squeeze her hand. “You and Doug both do. And one day, in the not-so-distant future, I will gladly let that be known publicly by whoever wants to hear it.”

Evie froze, too practiced to drop her composure entirely, though she was clearly shocked by the admittance. “…do you really want that?”

Chad felt something in him melt, forever grateful for the two people he’d become attached to. “Of course I do, Evie,” he murmured, keeping his voice low because _this_ was just for them. “At this point, I’ve been waiting so we wouldn’t steal the king’s thunder-” A waiting game that felt like a stab in his heart every day it dragged on. “But at the rate _they’re_ going…” He trailed off with a shrug. “Fuck it.”

Evie stifled a laugh behind dainty fingers, her eyes lighting up with mirth. “‘ _Fuck it_ ’?” she echoed with a whisper. “ _That’s_ how you’re choosing to propose?”

“Fuck no,” Chad rushed to assure her, feeling a slight tinge of panic. “You and Doug are going to get _way_ better than that. Fuck, I’m sorry, just-”

“No,” she laughed, breaking the bubble of space they tried to give each other in public and grabbing Chad’s hand. “No, this is perfect.”

“What’d I miss?” Doug asked, strolling into the balcony slightly out of breath, having just survived a series of dances with the exuberant Dizzy.

“Chad’s proposal,” Evie said, her gaze fixed entirely on the new king. Doug paused right beside them, likely nervous, and Chad abandoned his drink to the balcony’s edge so he could take the dwarf-kin’s hand, dragging him closer.

“Not an _actual_ proposal,” Chad huffed. “Doug wasn’t even _here_ for it. That doesn’t count. You guys are going to get a great proposal, with rings and flowers and- I don’t know, fireworks. I’m workshopping it right now, but pretend to be surprised when it actually happens.”

“The fact that it’s _happening_ is good enough for me,” Doug gushed, squeezing Chad’s hand but not daring to get any closer. From a distance, they would look like close friends comforting each other, celebrating the momentous occasion of Chad’s crowning, but here and _now_ , it was special. That mattered. 

“And you don’t mind?” Doug pressed, tilting his head ever so slightly towards the far balcony, where Ben was being kept company by a stoic looking Jay, the others already out on the dancefloor. “With…”

“No.” Chad shook his head. “No, I’m done waiting. I feel like I’ve been treading water these past few months. I just- I want to find dry land.”

“Baby,” Evie whispered carefully, so low that only the three of them could hear it. “That’s what you’re going to _get_.”

And for once, Chad’s mind allowed him to believe this without a doubt, his hands trapped in theirs and the future bright – or at least brighter, everything falling into its proper place.

It wasn’t what he’d expected it to be, but it was still _good_. And that was what mattered.

-:-:-:-:-:-

“Do you know why I asked the three of you here?”

Chad shared a look with Doug and Evie from their positions in the visiting chairs of Duke Adam’s private office, though they were careful to keep their expressions unreadable. Speculation as to _why_ they had been invited had been flying between the three of them since they’d gotten the call, though they had yet to nail down a potential reason that didn’t seem farfetched or overly-complicated. 

Evie, as the most diplomatic person who was not Chad (and therefore had a certain grudge against the former king), answered for them. “I can’t say we do, your lordship.”

From the other side of his impressive desk, Ben’s father hummed, looking like he didn’t entirely believe them but was far too polite to bring the matter up. “In that case, I shall illuminate the situation.” He steepled his fingers together, as though buying time to consider the best approach to this conversation, when there was no way he hadn’t already practiced this a dozen or so times before they’d arrived. “Things are… delicate, right now, in regards to the status of Ben’s relationship.” He tilted his head meaningfully towards Evie. “As I’m sure you’re well aware, Miss Hatzfeld.”

As Mal’s best friend, it would be impossible for her _not_ to know, though that didn’t make her seem less unsettled.

The former king cleared his throat. “The fact of the matter is that when Ben announced his commitment to multiple partners, he established an entirely new possibility for cultural lifetime vows. Because of _that_ , it is important that he see his current relationship all the way through, otherwise the concept of polygamous weddings would be cut off before they could even start.”

“Is that a concern?” Doug asked while Chad pondered that statement, knowing that Duke Adam couldn’t be anywhere near that noble. “Have Ben and the others been having trouble?”

“To put it lightly, yes,” Duke Adam said, expression grave. “Things have been steadily declining since Chad’s unfortunate but necessary removal.” Necessary to _him_. “Should things proceed as they are without interference, I fear their relationship will deteriorate entirely.”

“And you can’t have that,” Chad murmured, brows furrowed in thought. “Because it would make Ben look weak. It would bring doubt to the King of Auradon.”

Duke Adam didn’t seem particularly pleased by the statement, but he didn’t deny it either.

So _that_ was why they were really here.

“They need closure,” the Duke pressed, aiming this specifically at Chad. “They need to move on from you, and they need _your-_ ” He turned to Evie and Doug. “-friendship and support now more than ever.”

“So…” Chad cleared his throat carefully. “Instead of getting them therapists or any sort of qualified professional to help them work this out, you want _us_ because you need to keep this from leaking to the public.”

“Young man,” Duke Adam began in what was most likely the least effective tactic of all time. “If you think I have not _tried_ employing paid professionals for this, you are wrong. It’s just-”

“They won’t talk to them,” Evie sighed. She didn’t run a hand across her face, though it looked like she sorely wanted to.

“Exactly.” The Duke nodded, grateful for his validation though likely less pleased over what it was about. “They can’t continue as is. Active steps need to be taken to stabilize their relationship so…” He passed over a gilded invitation. “You three have been respectfully invited to a retreat focusing on solidifying relations with the future rulers of Hanover and Sardinia. You will have two weeks in a private Auradon nature lodge to make some kind of headway. If it is at all possible, they _must_ remain together.”

“I’m surprised you’re not forcing the issue,” Chad noted, because Duke Adam had never been particularly kind to him.

The Duke sighed. “As much as I do not like it, even I have to acknowledge that splitting up might be the healthiest thing for them in the long run. If it needs to be done, it needs to be done, but it is a _final_ option, alright? Almost anything else is preferable.”

“Then we’ll see what we can do,” Evie said sweetly, because she understood better than anyone else how little they could turn down this request. Not when her friends were on the line, not when the future of Auradon was at stake. 

Even Chad couldn’t deny that much and he really, _really_ didn’t want to help his exes work out their relationship without him, even if he did still love them. It seemed cruel, but most things in life were. He may as well just… accept that and move on.

“Thank you,” Duke Adam said, seeming to read their resignation and commitment all in one. “I’ll have my assistant forward you the details.”

“Looking forward to it,” Chad lied, and to his credit, Duke Adam _did_ manage a laugh, so.

At least one of them could see the humor in the situation.

-:-:-:-:-:-

“Things will be fine,” Evie said for what might have been the tenth time that car ride, looking outwardly composed were it not for the way her foot continued to steadily tap-tap-tap against the floor in nervous shifts. “There’s no reason to panic.”

“Of course, Evie,” Doug soothed, shooting a worried look over her head to Chad. 

When they had started this trip – by _car_ because they couldn’t be open about the portal rune thing until they had _finally_ dealt away with the magic ban – Chad had expected that he would have the biggest hang up due to his ex-lover status. Strangely enough, though, it was Evie that grew more and more nervous the closer they got to the castle, to the point where Chad wasn’t even horrified at the prospect of talking to his exes because he was so focused on _her_.

“Hey, it’s going to be okay,” Chad offered, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “Everyone there already loves you.”

For whatever reason, that seemed to be the exact _wrong_ thing to say because Evie’s expression got a little tighter, a little bit more forced, and Chad got to feel like a giant tool all over again.

Doug’s lips turned downward in the slightest of frowns. “If you’re not feeling good about this, we could always say you were sick.”

“Right!” Chad jumped on this, happy for the solution. “ _I’ll_ talk to them, get the heavy emotional bullshit out of the way and then you won’t even have to see them until later. We’ll just send Mal up to your room-”

“No.” Evie shook her head, but she seemed to be settling, somehow, gathering her strength with a determined look. “No, I can do this. The _three_ of us can do this,” she said, squeezing their hand. “We promised you wouldn’t be alone, Kit.”

“I wouldn’t be,” Chad replied on reflex, knowing it was true. “You guys are here. Even if you’re not in the same room-”

“ _No_ ,” Evie repeated, and this time, she seemed resolute. “No, we stay together. We work _together_.”

“…and will you tell us what’s bothering you, together?” Chad pressed tentatively, because sometimes, when things were especially hectic, he’d just- he really wanted someone to _ask_ and they never did. He couldn’t stand the idea of _not_ doing that for Evie. 

The princess’s eyes softened around the edge, tinged with a distinct sadness that made Chad ache to his core. “…I will,” she whispered, squeezing their hands. “I just- I can’t right now.”

“That’s okay,” Doug murmured, pressing a kiss to her hair. “We can wait.”

“Just know that we’re here for you, alright?” Chad pressed. “And if you need to make a fast retreat, just signal us and we’ll go with the sudden illness thing.”

“We should be doing that for you,” Evie sighed, seeming frustrated with herself. “They’re _your_ exes.”

“Which means they’ll be expecting me to… have negative responses,” Chad settled on, deciding that was the most diplomatic. “I ran out on them crying all the time, it won’t be a surprise if I do that again.”

Surprisingly, this did not help either Doug or Evie look less pained. “ _Kit-_ ”

“It’s fine.” Chad waved off their concern. “My point is, if you want to make a strategic retreat, for _whatever reason_ , we will support that, because we love you very much.”

“Very much,” Doug repeated, raising her hand so he could kiss her knuckles. “Though, for the record, Kit-”

“I know, _I know_ ,” Chad sighed. “I’m not alone. You guys are with me-”

“Until the end of the line,” Evie pledged, leaning into his side. “I’m afraid your stuck with us.”

“And I’m glad for it,” Chad whispered, reaching an arm around Evie’s shoulders so he could hold onto both of them. “Just- don’t compare our pain. Just because I’m hurting doesn’t mean you can’t either.”

“These two weeks will be hard on all of us,” Doug said, taking the focus off of Evie so she could breathe a little. “But we’ve got each other, alright? We keep an open line of communication-”

“And to cuddle every evening,” Chad finished with a grin. “Yes, I like that plan.”

“That’s because it’s a good one,” Doug said, seeming to smile with his eyes. “Now brace yourselves – it looks like we’re here.”

“Oh, sweet evil,” Evie whispered, shaking her head before reluctantly staring out the window, where the Auradon royal family’s private lodge was coming into view.

“…well,” Chad said after a few moments. “At least we won’t have to worry about not having enough room.”

“You say that _now_ ,” Evie groaned, slumping against him, and Chad let out a hummed agreement as they drew closer to the luxury lodge. Chad was pretty sure it was three stories, with the second featuring a large balcony that ran the entire perimeter of the house, likely going all the way to the back where a pool was waiting. 

On second thought, maybe it was three stories and a set of attics. That was a lot of stairs. 

“…we should pick a room before they show up,” Doug offered. “Somewhere we can’t get boxed in.”

“With multiple entrances and exits,” Chad added.

Evie grinned. “Look at you guys, thinking all tactically.”

“It helps that I’m engaged to this super smart princess who’s big on strategy.” Chad grinned, and he allowed the sound of her laughter to carry them outside the limo, relieving the chauffeur of their bags (Chad taking Evie’s because they were _heavy_ , and he loved Doug, but especially loved him in one piece and not broken because he’d tried to prove himself lifting too much only to trip and shatter his leg). 

They let Evie pick the room, and she found a space off the beaten path, nestled between a small servants’ staircase and a secret passageway Chad had found through trial and error, already painfully familiar with the Auradon Castle passages. It also had a balcony of its own that had a trellis next to it, meaning they could enter and exit _there_ if they really needed to. 

“Are they going to expect Chad to be in a different room?” Doug asked as they unpacked their clothes (Evie), stashed emergency supplies (Chad), or reviewed the selection of books some enthusiastic collector had left behind (Doug).

“Maybe,” Chad allowed with a shrug, speaking up before Evie could freeze. They hadn’t made news of their engagement public yet, and wouldn’t until after _this_ was settled. There was no point to getting worked up about it now. “But we could just say I’m crashing on your couch. They know I don’t like to be alone.”

Granted, he was an old hand at it, could weather it with dignity and grace – he just didn’t want to, so he wouldn’t.

“ _And_ ,” he continued brightly. “Since you guys are such good friends, you’re letting me stay.”

“What generous souls we are,” Doug said quietly, grin widening when Chad detoured his unpacking to pull the dwarf-kin into a kiss. 

_Yes_ , still quite nice.

When he pulled back, Evie was smiling at them in that especially soft way she got whenever she saw them be intimate, the faintest blush dusting her cheeks. “So generous that we let you share our bed,” she decided. “But we can throw a blanket and pillow onto the couch if you really want to set the scene.”

“Eh.” Chad shrugged. “Why not?”

“Indeed,” Doug mused.

They spent the rest of their time unpacking and then familiarizing themselves with the lay of the land, Doug walking Chad and Evie through the secret passages as their layout was almost like being underground, where dwarves had an unerring sense of direction.

They were pouring drinks in the kitchen when they heard the next car roll up, and Chad hated the way Evie’s shoulders immediately tensed, as though the past hour of quiet comfort hadn’t even happened.

Still, there was no turning back now. They couldn’t do anything but put on their best public relation faces and stare out the window as a familiar Auradon limo pulled in front of the drive, scattering gravel in its wake. 

The door flew open before the chauffeur had a chance to get it, though that was entirely unsurprising when Harry climbed out of the car with a scowl on his face, body wound so tense it made _Chad_ ache. It got a little worse when Uma piled out of the limo behind him – implying that Harry could be _that_ worked up with the woman he openly adored, who he would cross oceans for, climb mountains bare-handed. 

Uma didn’t seem much better off, though her anger was a muted thing, restrained in her posture and pulling at the corners of her lips.

Neither of them said anything to the chauffeur when they collected their bags, though Uma was kind enough to offer a polite nod while Harry stormed up the path, yet another indication that things were horribly wrong. First mates always waited for their captains. It seemed so grossly _weird_ to see them like this, almost like they were strangers and Chad was meeting them all over again.

“Welp,” Doug said as they heard the front door _slam_ open in the distance. “…maybe we should hide the alcohol.”

“Oh, most definitely,” Chad agreed, and the three of them worked in silence to relocate any liquor they could find into a secret storage space Chad located in the back of the pantry.

By the time they had finished that, they could hear Harry’s voice carrying from the living room.

“- _this isn’t some **bloody** vacation!_” Harry was snarling, snapping almost like a wounded animal, and while Evie didn’t seem surprised by this, she was sad to hear him brought to such a state. “ _They’re trying to get us out of the public eye-_ ”

“ _Because we **need** it, Harry_.” Uma’s voice was low but deadly, as though they’d had this conversation a hundred times before and had never once come to some sort of happy agreement. “ _We need time to sort ourselves out without all those **vultures** watching us_.”

“ _Sort ourselves out_ ,” Harry echoed, seeming almost to spit the words. “ _They make us sound like we’re cars going in for a tune-up. Like we’re broken-_ ”

“ _Well, aren’t we?_ ” Uma asked, and if Duke Adam hadn’t briefed them on this, Chad wouldn’t have been prepared for the clarity in her voice, for how very _aware_ she was of their situation.

Harry’s only response was an inarticulate snarl.

Doug cleared his throat. “Perhaps now would be a good time to let them know they’re not alone.”

“Right,” Chad murmured. “You can go upstairs if you want, Evie-”

The princess was already striding ahead of them, head held high as she crossed the large bottom floor of the lodge, cutting a direct line towards the living room Uma and Harry had retreated to.

Doug sighed. “And now, unto the breach.”

They caught up in time to hear Evie greeting them, her voice light and cheerful, as though they hadn’t heard their argument all the way from the kitchen.

“What are _ye_ doing here?” Harry snapped just as Chad made it into the doorway, and then the first mate abruptly cut himself off, everything seeming to almost… pause, for some reason, like he was a record that had been put on hold.

Evie was kind enough not to register the aggression or the abrupt change, humming thoughtfully. “Duke Adam invited us,” she explained. “We got here about an hour ago.”

“Hey, Uma,” Doug offered with a small wave. “Harry.”

“Guys.” Chad managed to dip his head in a respectful nod, wishing the conflicting emotions that had washed over him at his coronation hadn’t returned in full force, but of course they did because they were here, right _here_ in front of him like it was nothing. It hurt to see them in pain, and it hurt worse knowing there was little he could do about it.

It was Uma that responded, Harry seeming too frozen to contemplate such a thing. “Your majesty,” she murmured, dipping in a polite curtsy – perfected since he had last seen her, not that she would have to worry about doing such things for much longer. “Congrats again, on your completion of the Huntsmen Trials.”

“Thank you.” This was- terrible. He didn’t want to spend the next two weeks dealing in frivolous pleasantries. “Congrats on the newest slate of reform legislature.”

Evie had been keeping him apprised of the situation, considering how little Chad was allowed to contribute himself, despite the fact that he had already graduated Auradon Law School with honors.

“Thanks.” There was tension around her eyes, like it pained her to have this conversation, though that could just as easily be her frustration lingering from the talk she had with Harry. Of all of them, Chad had been the furthest from Uma – not in her orbit like Harry and Gil and Mal, couldn’t appreciate her like Ben or Jay. Of all of them, it was likely best that she’d showed up first. 

“Is this how we’re going to spend this entire trip?” Harry growled, hands clenched against his sides and shoulders hunched almost defensively, his eyes wide and wild. “Faffing about as though we’re out _there_?”

Uma shot him a muted look of frustration. “There’s no need to be rude, Harry.”

“Oh, there isn’t?” Harry laughed, a thing tinged with hysteria as he swept off towards the windows. “So I just imagined the Huntsmen King there _ignoring_ us the entire night of his coronation?”

Chad hadn’t realized that might be registered as a slight. He thought, all things considered, that they would be relieved not to deal with the frustration of lingering feelings of discomfort, though it figured that Harry would be contrary about this. 

“What did you want me to say, Harry?” Chad asked, feeling his composure begin to fracture under the weight of his annoyance. “Hey, how’re you doing? You look good?” He crossed the room in slow steps, conscious of the concerned looks Evie and Doug were giving him. “Thanks for breaking my heart into pieces, you unmitigated _asshole_?”

Harry – _because_ he was Harry – found this abrupt turn in conversation delightful, allowing a manic grin to spread across his face as the others tensed. “Actually, _yes_ , that would be nice. At least then we’d be having an actual _conversation_.”

“You wanna talk?” Chad asked, feeling a familiar heat press at the corner of his eyes but dutifully ignoring it, the same way he had many times before. “ _Talk_ , Harry. That’s what we’re here for anyway.”

“Awfully _kind_ of ye,” Harry drawled, letting his hand trail along the back of the couch as he cut a slow path across the living room. “To _deign_ to spend time with us.”

As much as Chad had loved Harry – brilliantly, blindingly – the first mate had an unfortunate talent of digging under Chad’s skin. “You don’t get to _throw me out_ and then get mad when I don’t want to talk to you anymore!” Chad snarled, rushing across the room and only managing to hold himself back at the last second, desperate to shove Harry or punch him or do anything to get that stupid smug grin off of his face. “ _You’re_ the ones that said some distance would _‘do us some good_ ’.”

“ _Some_ distance,” Harry snarled, dropping his amusement in favor of a fight. “ _Some_. We didn’t expect ye to be dead to us!”

“Well, why shouldn’t I be?!” Chad asked, throwing his hands up in frustration. “If you can’t trust how I _feel_ , who’s to say you should trust what I _think_? Or what I _do_? I mean, if I’m obviously so desperate to fill the aching void in my life with whatever is the closest thing available or whatever the fuck _else_ Duke Adam told you shitheads, then who’s to say that anything I do or say at any given time could come from a genuine place of desire or friendship?!” Chad had to force himself to move away or he might start wringing Harry’s neck, and he had the conditioning and skills to actually do that now. “Don’t have an argument for that now, do you?”

No, he didn’t, because Harry didn’t respect Chad as a person. That was what it came down to. Chad had been a damsel for him to rescue, and Harry hadn’t even done _that_ – Jay had. Jay had been the big tough hero that saved the day while Chad dithered behind him and Harry was just the tool who could never see Chad as anything but some scared kid attending his first ball.

“I don’t need one,” Harry snarled in true Harry form, because _what else_ would he say? Chad hadn’t even gotten to hang out with him that much in the end and he knew that. “Cuz you’ve already latched yourself onto the first couple ye saw, I mean-” He stormed over to Evie and Doug, Uma twitching, as though ready to intercede. “How long had we been broken up before he started dating ye?”

“We…” Evie looked so very lost, enough that Chad crossed to her side. “…that wasn’t made public, yet.”

Harry pulled back with a grin of triumph, meaning he likely hadn’t _known_ , just suspected, and Evie had fallen for his trap hook, line, and sinker. “It didn’t _need_ to be public,” he hissed. “Ye think we didn’t see the way ye were giggling at his coronation? I know him-”

“Apparently, you _don’t_ ,” Chad snapped, tugging Evie and Doug away from the pirate. “You have no idea how hard it was to pull myself out of that depressive slump-”

“But ye did it for them, didn’t ye?” Harry taunted, smile hard and mean.

“Harry,” Uma warned, _finally_ cutting into things.

“ _No_!” Harry snapped. “Letting ye go was one of the hardest things in my life, but it was the _right_ thing to do – and how the fuck does he respond?” Harry asked, pulling away so he could sweep his arm out in a dramatic flourish. “By latching onto the first couple of people that show an interest in him. By _proving_ Ben was right – that Kit _didn’t_ have the social maturity or whatever the fuck he said to _be_ in a committed relationship-”

“That’s not true,” Chad whispered, words barely audible because he’d lost his fight with tears. They were pouring down his cheeks now, his throat thick with emotion as he struggled to compose himself. “That isn’t true, Harry. It took a long time-”

“How _long_?” Harry snarled, dropping the showman act to reveal his true fury. “How long did you manage to wait? Four months? Six?” He paused, exhaling sharply through his nose as he stared Chad down. “I’m _waiting_.”

“Fuck off, Harry,” Evie snapped, abandoning her usual role as the mediator as a protective fury seemed to grip her. “You don’t get to be mad at him for moving on.”

“That’s rich coming from _ye_ ,” Harry growled, pointing a shaky finger towards her. “Ye know how much Mal loved him.” Past tense. “Ye _know_ how much we _all_ care about him and instead of having our back ye snatch him up like the money-pinching _gold digger_ your mother taught you to be.” 

“That’s out of line, Harry,” Doug said, because Chad was too busy struggling to breathe properly, couldn’t even defend his own fiancé because he was such a mess.

“She’s Mal’s best friend!” Harry snarled. “But has she told Mal that she’s _dating_ her ex-lover? Has she mentioned it at all? _No_.” He forced himself to back away with a few ferocious steps. “Some friend you are, Hatzfeld. You’re just as useless as your mother.”

Chad could feel Evie trembling beside him, the two of them clutching each other in an effort to stay upright because Evie was crying now too. She was trying not to, unlike Chad who didn’t even bother with the pretense, but she was definitely crying. Her tears were subtle and poised – much like she was, silent as she tried to swallow them down, and Chad clung to her, letting her know she wasn’t alone as Harry berated them. 

“In fact,” Harry began with a new growl. “I’d go as far to say- _umph!_ ”

That was all he managed to get out before Doug punched him.

Doug. As in _Doug_. 

Doug punched Harry Hook in the damn _face_ , and it looked a lot like he was going to do it again, and Harry was going to _let_ him because he seemed so damn confused by what had just happened.

Further consideration for that particular development was waylaid by Mal’s voice carrying through the front of the lodge. “ _Guys? What’s happening?_ ”

“ _Is everyone alright?_ ” Came Jay’s voice, and both Chad _and_ Evie found themselves shuddering harder.

Doug made a split-second choice. “This conversation’s over,” he declared, retreating to grab a hold of Chad and Evie. “You want to be civil, we can try this again, but otherwise, don’t bother us.”

That was all he said before he literally _dragged_ them from the room, into a narrow servant’s passage before guiding Chad and Evie up the staircase to their room. 

In light of that, retreat was the best possible solution, just-

Chad wished that could have gone better, that _he_ would have done better. He wished that Harry didn’t make him feel so small, like the last eighteen months hadn’t happened at all, but mostly he wished that Evie hadn’t gotten dragged through the mud as well. She was the last person that deserved it.

And yet, it happened anyway.

Story of Chad’s life.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Doug managed to guide them onto the bed but couldn’t do much else, the two of them curled against his chest while quiet sobs shook their bodies, Doug doing his best to offer comfort when at least _one_ of them should have been coherent. 

“It’s okay,” Doug said, taking turns patting a hand down their backs. “Do what you need to do, okay? I’m right here. Just let it out.”

“F-Fuck,” Evie hissed between tears. “I’m s-sorry, Doug.”

“You two didn’t do anything wrong,” he reminded them patiently, carefully, like he always did when Evie got worked up about being perfect and Chad got worked up about not being enough. “You don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“D-Doug,” Chad gasped, because he was especially useless and couldn’t manage to put together more than that. “ _Doug_.”

“It’s okay,” he repeated. “Just cry. I locked the door; we’ll be okay in here.”

“For a non-magic user, that is true,” Uma’s voice said, Doug tensing a moment before the captain swayed into view, a bag of ice clutched in one hand. “I locked it behind me, though.”

Chad could feel Doug swallow. “I already told you the conversation was over.”

“Believe me, _that_ conversation most certainly is,” Uma said. Without asking, she climbed onto the bed behind Evie, who tensed horribly before Uma molded herself to the princess’ back, wrapping an arm around her waist as she handed the ice bag off to Doug. “That was a nice right hook there, slick. I’m surprised you didn’t break any fingers.”

Doug paused a moment before accepting the bag, struggling to hold it against his knuckles while refusing to let go of Evie and Chad until Uma sighed and held it in place for him.

“Should…” Evie swallowed, clearing her throat. “Shouldn’t you be with Harry?”

Uma took no offense at this question, which Chad hadn’t expected. “Mal and Jay are with him,” she explained. “He’ll need to get the fight out of his system before he can have a civil conversation.” She paused for a moment, humming. “That punch you decked him with sure knocked the wind out of his sails, though.”

“…I would have done it again,” Doug murmured, not entirely comfortable.

Uma laughed, a fond thing that Chad wanted to swim in. “I don’t doubt that.” 

It was so much like old times that it made Chad want to shake apart, want to retreat for how little he knew he could keep this. He loved Evie and Doug, he just- he couldn’t _do_ this, not the way the others seemed to think he could. Maybe he’d never be able to sit on Ben’s council. He certainly couldn’t do it today, if he had to.

“…I’m sorry.” Uma offered the words by surprise, and Chad took a moment to let his eyes go wide, afraid that the apology might be retracted if he put too much interest into it. “That shouldn’t have happened. _None_ of that should have happened.” She ran a hand through Evie’s hair, and Chad was surprised to see the princess actually calm down, take steadier breaths as she was cradled between Uma and Doug. “He’s been _awful_ lately, and I thought- _fuck_ , I thought maybe if he could just get it out of his system, maybe he’d…” She trailed off with a low curse. “But he went too far. He always goes too far; it’s a gift.”

She let her lips tilt against the back of Evie’s head, pressing a chaste kiss against her locks like she might have done for Chad, and Evie shivered, seeming to feel the feather light contact.

“You’re nothing like your mama, princess,” Uma said, tone firm and unrelenting. “He said that much because he knew it would hurt, because _he’s_ hurting, but you’re a greater woman than she could ever hope to be, and an even better ruler than Hanover could ever hope to get.”

Over the course of Uma’s dialogue Evie’s tears had slowly died down, though at this, new trails began to start, though these at least seemed easier, a wet smile pulling at Evie’s lips.

“And Kit?” Doug prompted, making Chad’s heart stop in his chest. “You got anything to say about him?”

“‘Course I do,” Uma said, though she didn’t seem annoyed as her gaze drifted to Chad over the top o Evie’s head. “You’re allowed to move on, Kit. It isn’t fair of us to expect you to hold out for something we clearly threw you out of.” Chad shuddered at the explanation, squeezing his eyes shut as a fresh wave of tears claimed him, though he felt no better for the confirmation of what had been done to him. “I can’t speak for everyone, but I am sorry about… about how it ended,” she settled on. “That wasn’t fair to you. It wasn’t fair to any of us, but it especially wasn’t fair to you.”

It was a small thing, but big enough to leave Chad sobbing, relief and validation flooding through him. He’d known it was wrong – at the time, it had felt wrong – but he was so unused to fighting for himself that it never occurred to him to _try_. It made him want to scream. To yell. 

Instead, he just held onto Doug, fumbling for Evie’s hand when she offered it to him and trying not to tremble when Uma’s dark fingers covered their hold, familiar callouses grazing his skin that Chad tried to memorize despite himself. It wasn’t his to keep. He had good things and they weren’t _this_ , but-

He’d loved Uma, once upon a time. And he was only human. 

He could only do so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we’re back to it! Presenting the third and final installment of the Pauper Chad series (at least, for now). It’s a short one, but it will hopefully wrap up all the loose ends in a neat bow :)
> 
> For those new to my work – first of all, hello, thanks for joining the insanity! Secondly, because of the crazy times we live in, I try to update twice a week – once on Sunday, once on Wednesday/Thursday, depending on how my schedule works out. There are no deleted scenes this time around, so all three chapters will be entirely story-focused ^_^
> 
> For those of you who have been here since the beginning – thank you, my crazy people. It is for you I deliver this Chad angst unto the world ;D
> 
> As always, please let me know if you think I missed something in the tags! I prefer to ere on the side of caution, but this thing in self-edited, so there’s always a chance I missed something. If this is the case, please let me know so I can update appropriately. 
> 
> Until next time :)


	2. Weathering Storms

“So,” Doug began later after Uma had left them, when they’d managed to drag themselves out of bed and into a relaxing and much-needed bath. “Let’s review what went wrong, shall we?”

The bath had been calming, allowing the three of them to cuddle together with the gentle scent of lavender and ivy wafting in the air from the candles Evie had brought along for just such purposes. Sharing the warm water had been grounding – reaffirming their connection with each other – and by the end of it Chad and Evie had reverted into _their_ favorite pastime of working together to dote on Doug, who took the attention with flushed whines, Chad’s hand working between his legs while Evie sucked gentle marks against his collar that made him look properly claimed.

Further proving that he was, in fact, the best fiancé, Doug allowed Chad and Evie to carry out their _second_ most favorite pastime of including the dwarf kin in their spa rituals, which was what brought all _three_ of them to be sitting on their large bed in nothing but their custom bathrobes – Evie’s navy with red embroidery, Chad’s light blue with gold, Doug’s mossy green and brown – damp hair wrapped in towels (unless you were Evie, in which case her dry locks had been safely pinned up in a loose bun) while they proceeded to pamper each other. Chad and Evie both already had their face masks on, and now Evie was working on painting Doug’s nails, Chad applying _his_ face mask while Doug appealed to their practical natures by calling for a strategic review session. 

Sometimes it staggered Chad how much he loved this man.

“I shouldn’t have engaged with Harry,” Chad said, focusing on an even application of the mint green mask to keep the anxiety at bay. “I rose to his bait, which enabled him to drag it out into a fight.”

“That was going to happen one way or another,” Evie said, shaking her head slowly. “Uma was right, he needed to get that out of his system. Best to do it when there was only five of us around.”

“Be that as it may, I can’t help but feel… worried,” Chad settled on.

“For the unknown?” Evie prompted, like Chad, keeping her entire focus on the careful application of paint to Doug’s nails. “Or for when Harry tells them about us?”

It was the second one, and Chad didn’t know a good way of acknowledging that much.

Luckily, Doug cleared his throat. “We can almost guarantee that they all know by this point,” he deduced. “And they can respond one of three ways. They either won’t believe Harry, which will cause another rift between them, they _do_ believe Harry and maturely accept out situation like Uma did, or…”

“Or they call us cheap, backstabbing whores,” Evie surmised, missing the sorrowful look Doug gave her.

“Do you think that’s why they brought us here?” Chad asked, suddenly struck with a notion. “Do you think Duke Adam arranged for our presence so that we could… be the bad guys?”

“It would fall in line with his past behavior,” Evie mused, not so much blinking at the proposition. “His goal – first and foremost – has always been Ben’s wellbeing. Everything else is secondary. Would he arrange for our presence knowing full well we’d get emotionally shoved around for two weeks? Absolutely. We’re collateral to that guy.”

“So…” Doug prompted carefully. “How do we fix that?”

“I don’t know if we can,” Chad answered, recapping the tube for the facemask and grabbing up a bottle of lotion, deciding to give Doug a foot massage. It would hopefully progress into something else, which would be a nice counter to the doom that awaited them, Doug sprawled out on the bed with his robe pulled open like an unwrapped present, panting and writhing as Evie and Chad drove him crazy. It was a nice thought. 

“Aside from a tactical retreat, I think Kit’s right,” Evie murmured, a small smile tugging at her lips as she watched Chad get to work on Doug’s feet. “We either see this through to the end, open ourselves up to be their emotional punching bags, or we get out of here and run the risk of things getting worse for them. Both have drastic long-term effects, but-”

“But the first option less so,” Chad sighed. “Because they might hate us for a bit but that will fade with time. The second could lead to their engagement imploding entirely.”

“Rock and a hard place,” Doug muttered, a light flush dusting his cheeks as Chad began massaging the arch of his foot.

“I’d prefer the hard place,” Chad said with a wink that had Doug rolling his eyes on principle, even though his darkening blush totally gave his interest away.

“Incorrigible,” Doug murmured, trying to be the voice of reason. “It would probably be salt in some kind of wound for us to continuously… consummate our relationship during this trip.”

“You think it would come off as us rubbing a relatively healthy relationship into their face?” Evie hummed, and before Doug could answer, there was a knock on the door.

However, it was a super-secret very special first-dance-at-the-ball knock, so Chad didn’t immediately feel defensive about it, knowing that Gil would have never willingly shared the rhythm with any of the others. 

So Chad didn’t hesitate to wipe the last of the lotion onto his robe, pressing a kiss to Doug’s shoulder as an apology for what would not be (as much as he protested, Doug enjoyed the attention) before he moved to open the door to their room.

An entirely exhausted Gil stood on the other side, clad in a set of Jay’s lounging clothes.

“They took all the clothes you made me,” he explained without prompting, though Chad hadn’t expected Gil to be wearing the PJs he’d made him, even though Gil had loved them so very much. Chad hadn’t thought he could hurt even more, but seeing how genuinely anguished Gil was over this fact found a way under the small layer of armor he’d managed to dawn for this endeavor. “Are you doing spa things? Could I also do spa things?”

“Of course, Gil,” Chad said, ushering the other man inside without asking the others. They all agreed before this that Gil was one of the less-guilty parties. He hadn’t been fairing well in the public eye – the Duke carefully keeping him out of any interviews – which had made Chad concerned for the other blond. 

“Come on,” Chad said, taking the blond’s hand on reflex and tugging him towards the bathroom. “We’ve got to wash your face before we can apply a mask.”

He said this loudly, so the other two knew to change into some actual clothes while Chad had Gil busy, Evie nodding in confirmation. By the time Chad had Gil back out of the bathroom, Evie was in her silk nightgown and matching dressing robe. Doug – likely under penalty of not messing up his nails – was still in his bathrobe, but at least he had pajama pants on now. 

“Blow on those,” Evie told Doug, motioning to his finished nails. “And come here, Gil. I’ll do your mask for you.”

“Please and thank you,” Gil said, taking the indicated position with relief. 

Chad took that time to grab his pajamas and quickly change in the bathroom himself, and when he came back Gil was appropriately green faced and seemed marginally relaxed. Likely the work of Evie’s candles. They were burning a vanilla one right now. 

“Hey,” Gil greeted as Chad climbed onto the bed behind him, armed with a brush and hair tie so he could properly braid Gil’s hair into a semblance of order. “Do you um… do you still…?”

Without waiting for the full question, Chad pulled out the necklace he kept on him at all times – the one Fairy Godmother had made for him. There, nestled next to the small locket, was Gil’s engagement ring. In the early stages of his relationship with Evie and Doug, Chad had worried it was unhealthy to hold onto such a thing, but they both agreed that Gil meant a lot to him, and it wasn’t wrong for him to want to remember their relationship, or treasure what it had done for him.

“Always,” Chad said, setting the necklace back down and letting it stay outside his shirt for once, and Gil watched that like it meant everything to him, eyes shining with unshed tears.

“…how are you doing, Gil?” Evie asked softly, taking the sailor’s hands between her own and working a jasmine-scented lotion into them.

“Um… not great,” he replied honestly, though they could all tell that much. “Everything is um… _tense_ right now and I… I don’t know how to fix it, and Uma and Jay keep telling me I _don’t_ have to fix it and…” His throat bobbed in a swallow. “I’m afraid… a lot. Because they made you leave even though you didn’t do anything wrong so what if- what if they make _me_ leave? What if I do the wrong thing at the wrong time and they send me away too?”

“Oh, _sweetheart_.” Chad abandoned Gil’s hair for the moment, wrapping an arm around his shoulders while Evie held onto his hands. “They wouldn’t do that. They love you.”

“But they loved you _too_ ,” Gil pressed, swallowing hard again to keep himself from crying. “And you were way more useful than I am.”

“Gil, baby,” Evie began, waiting until she knew she had his attention. “Your situation and Kit’s situation are very different. There were a series of factors that went into the decision to cast Chad out that won’t happen to you.”

“But what if they come up with new reasons?” Gil seemed miserable at the thought of it. “I think about it all the time. So I try not to say anything or do anything that would upset them but I think that upsets them more and everything just keeps getting worse.” He squeezed Evie’s hands once, carefully, intimately familiar of how crushing his strength could be and unwilling to hurt the princess. “I don’t know what to do.”

“You’ll have to talk to them,” Chad said, giving the one piece of advice he wished he’d received during his original engagement. “They can’t read your mind, Gil. They won’t know something’s wrong unless you talk to them, and only then can they help fix it.”

“But for the _moment_ ,” Evie cut in before Gil could protest what he’d likely been avoiding out of fear. “You can enjoy spa night. Kit needs a new coat of nail polish, and I’m sure he’d be glad for your help.”

“Yeah?” Gil asked with a sniff, giving Chad a hopeful look. “Could I do blue and gold?”

“Of course, Gil,” Chad said, because he would have taken rainbow, if that was what Gil wanted to give him.

“T-thanks,” Gil said. “And um… could I spend the night with you guys?”

“Yeah, Gil,” Doug said, keeping his voice gentle as he moved to squeeze Evie and Gil’s joined hands. “You can stay with us tonight. We’d be glad for the company.”

“Neato,” Gil said, with a complete lack of irony. 

It was stuff like that which reminded Chad why he was and had been so very in love with Gil, and while it could quite possibly be a terrible choice to keep the blond with them that evening…

Well, this entire trip looked like it was going to be a shitshow as it was, so they may as well throw caution to the wind entirely. 

-:-:-:-:-:-

Chad woke up curled against Gil’s chest, the blond seeming to keep one arm on him and another around Doug, who had attempted to protest with a flush before Evie had spooned against his back, pressing him into the sleepy sailor. 

Gil stirred briefly when Chad worked his way out of the blond’s hold, Gil’s eyes fluttering open as though he was considering commitment to consciousness.

“Rest up, Gilly,” Chad ordered, pressing a kiss against his cheek. “I’m gonna get started on breakfast.”

“…pancakes?” Gil mumbled through a haze of incoherence. 

“Pancakes,” Chad confirmed with a smile, figuring they deserved a sweet treat and pancakes were easy enough to make. 

Chad ran through his basic morning routine (sans working out) and didn’t bother changing out of his pajamas before heading down towards the kitchen via the servant staircase. They’d decided yesterday that they weren’t going to allow themselves to hide away during the course of their visit as Duke Adam might have expected them to, therefore defeating the fake premise of ‘ _creating better relations with Hanover and Sardinia’s future rulers_ ’ or whatever the fuck he’d said. There was also the fact that they didn’t have anything to be ashamed about, they’d done _nothing wrong_ so if they wanted to _exist_ in the public spaces of the lodge, they’d do so without trepidation. 

Because he was relatively polite, Chad went ahead and prepped a pot of coffee when he got to the kitchen, figuring it would be needed. He didn’t really drink the stuff – Evie and Doug both preferred tea, as did Chad, but he knew the others – Ben and Mal especially – found the drink to be a life source of sorts. It didn’t take much effort to set a pot to drip while he dug through the pantry, seeking out necessary ingredients while he hunted down measuring spoons and mixing bowls, examining the stove before locating a griddle for his pancake needs.

He was maybe halfway through mixing the batter when he finally got company, and of course it was Harry fucking Hook, because Chad was beginning to suspect that no one else had actually come on this trip, that Mal and Jay’s voices had been a hallucination. 

Hell, maybe they _were_. Uma was a witch, after all. 

On the bright side, Harry didn’t seem to expect Chad of all people to be the one moving about the kitchen, and he lingered, bewildered, in the doorway before he eventually puffed up to his new usual disposition of _asshole_. He refused to cower, prowling his way over towards the coffee maker with a confident swagger, as though he was not wearing the same clothes from yesterday and looking like a disheveled mess. 

“Chadwick,” he greeted, digging in the upper cupboards for a coffee cup.

“Harrison,” Chad shot back, not so much as looking in Harry’s direction when the pirate threw him a surprised look. It was quickly muted under agitation, but it was _there_ and that counted. 

Chad should probably take a step back before he instigated another situation that spiraled out of control, but seriously – _this guy_. 

And Chad _still_ wanted to pin him to the counter and ravish him blind. 

It was so unfair.

“I’m not sorry about what I said yesterday,” Harry declared, staring at the coffee maker as though it would make it brew faster.

“I didn’t need to know that.” Chad wasn’t even sure why he’d said it, save for some kind of ingrained need to be the biggest tool possible. 

Harry’s shoulders tensed ever so slightly. Didn’t relax. “…why are ye three even here anyway?”

“To help you out with your relationship problems is my guess,” Chad said, not really feeling the need to elaborate on the meeting they’d had with Duke Adam. 

_That_ made Harry finally turn around. “If anything, ye three _are_ our relationship problems!”

“Nope.” Chad wasn’t taking credit for that, no way, no how. “You’re responsible for your own mess, Hook.”

Harry opened his mouth to protest, Chad aching to cut him down, when Mal walked into the room dressed in a set of Ben’s pajamas, which she generally only resorted to in situations of extreme stress. It made Chad lose hold of whatever annoyance he had to feel for the queen-to-be, who looked so very worn out.

There was a tense moment where Harry and Mal caught sight of each other, Chad spotting something other than anger on Harry’s face for the first time since he’d gotten there, the sailor painted with a blatant concern that Mal only seemed to half process. 

Mal stood there for a moment, then rubbed her eyes. “Maybe I’ll just come back later.”

“No,” Chad said, because they weren’t going to get anything done if they kept running away. “Take a seat, I’ll serve you.”

At that, Harry immediately returned to his number one survival mechanism of being mad. “Think I can’t do it?”

“I think you need to _talk_ ,” Chad said, buffering the sailor away from the coffee pot until he had no choice but to retreat to the table Mal was standing near. After a moment of hesitation, they both took a seat, neither one of them talking to the other, even after Chad set down a mug of coffee in front of each of them. They still hadn’t talked when he put down the cream and sugar, but that was fine, Chad decided. These things took time. 

“…did you sleep in a bush?” Mal asked eventually, when Chad had finished the pancake batter and moved onto prepping sausage patties for frying. 

“…it was a field,” Harry said after a moment. 

Mal toyed with her coffee spoon. “…I suppose there wasn’t a _boat_ nearby, then.”

Harry tensed, ready to snarl out a response to what seemed to be an old argument, when Chad cut in.

“No,” he said, giving them both a measured look. “ _Talk_ , not argue. Harry-” The pirate aimed a scowl at him. “Regardless of whatever you argued about yesterday, Mal was worried about you.”

With that, Chad turned back to his work, turning the stove on so the griddle could get hot. He figured if he was _here_ , he may as well do some of the pseudo-therapy bullshit Duke Adam had recruited them for rather than act as a helpless sort of punching bag the rest of the weekend. 

Harry may have been about to protest, but Mal cleared her throat, cradling her mug between her petite hands. “…I was worried about you,” she admitted. “Even when I didn’t want to be. It made it hard to sleep.”

Harry didn’t say anything for a moment. “…sorry,” he settled on eventually.

It must have taken Mal by an even greater surprise than Chad, because she stared at the first mate in an expression of wonder before she managed to recover, taking a sip of her drink.

“Do you want to say what you argued about?” Chad asked, figuring if he was doing this, he may as well commit entirely.

Both of them tensed, but it was Mal that spoke up first. “Harry… _misunderstood_ something you said yesterday,” she explained, the first mate tensing up once more. “He said you’re dating Evie and Doug now, but there’s no way Evie would do that to me.”

“…there’s no way Evie would fall in love with somebody else?” Chad asked carefully, having foreseen this complication. 

_That_ made Mal look at him. “I’m not saying that,” she pressed. “But she wouldn’t date _you_.”

“Why?” Chad asked. “I’m a pretty charming human, when I want to be. Smart, hardworking, moderately attractive – if I was single, there’s no reason she and Doug shouldn’t date me, if I was interested.”

Mal stared at him for a long minute. “…you were _mine_ ,” she said finally, eyes flaring green. “Evie wouldn’t try to take what was _mine-_ ”

“If you broke up with me, Mal,” Chad interrupted, because he couldn’t really deal with that passion, right now. “Then I wasn’t yours. I was my own. Free. And if I was free-”

“She’s my best friend!” Mal snapped, slamming her hands against the table so forcefully that it splashed coffee over the rim of her mug, not that she noticed it as she rose to her feet. “She knows how hard it was to let you go! She knew the reason _why_ we did it-”

“ _I_ knew the reason why you did it,” Chad pressed, unable to suffer her rage any further. “That didn’t make it right, Mal. The mess of you making decisions on _my_ behalf – that wasn’t _right_.”

He pulled back before he could do something stupid, like start crying again, and turned his attention back to breakfast. Gil wanted pancakes, and Chad wanted to see the look on his face when he ate them, wanted to see him happy and content.

“…it took me awhile to see that what we had wasn’t healthy,” he said after a beat, keeping his gaze fixed to the stove. “And _maybe_ it took that distance to be able to figure that out, but that was something we could have- never mind.” He shook his head. “It’s done. Just- you can’t _‘set me free’_ and then get mad when I move on, regardless of who it’s with. That part doesn’t matter.”

“It does if it’s Evie,” Mal insisted, though the words were softer, now.

“Why?” Chad asked. “You know better than most how random love can be.”

“ _Don’t_.” Mal’s voice was tight when she said it, shaking around the edges, and when Chad finally turned to look her way, her eyes were brilliantly green and shining. “Don’t say _love_. Don’t-”

It was Chad’s turn to get angry, though he kept his voice restrained this time, out of respect for everyone else. “Contrary to popular belief,” he began. “I am _not a whore_. I am not _weak_. I am not some… desperate _child_ latching on to anyone who gives me affection. I am _generous_ ,” Chad said, recounting the words that had taken him so long to claim with the help of his therapist. “I have a big heart, and I have been fortunate to love a lot of people, and granted, some of them are _assholes_ , but they are _mine_.” Chad turned back towards the stove, taking a moment to collect himself with a steady breath. “You two seem so determined to think that I could have never truly loved you, when I would give almost anything to stop loving you guys. It would make things substantially less painful, for me.”

Chad’s chest was heaving by the time he was done with his explanation, despite the fact that he’d never raised his voice. Blood rushed to his ears while he tried to find his equilibrium once more, and when that eventually faded, he realized the other two were terribly silent.

He also noticed, belatedly, that there was someone standing in the doorway to the kitchen, someone who had likely been there for his entire speech. He looked up to see who it was in the reflection of the window, and almost whined. 

“Hey, Ben,” Chad greeted, turning his attention back to the food still waiting to be cooked. “Can I interest you in some pancakes?”

“…that’d be nice,” Ben said, and then the king was wandering over towards the kitchen table. After a few moments, Chad could hear them cleaning up the coffee Mal had spilled earlier, was distantly aware of Ben fetching his own cup of coffee before sitting down at the head of the table, between Mal and Harry. 

What a tired boy he must be.

The process of actually cooking breakfast was carried out in silence, the other three quiet as they awkwardly sat around each other. There were a few moments where Ben valiantly tried to make small talk, but no one was willing to play along, so eventually they just ended up sitting there in tense silence. Chad decided to serve the food family style, loading up a few large plates because creating individual ones would probably bring up raw memories of him pandering to their needs again, and that was about as far as he got before Uma and Jay wandered into the kitchen – Jay looking slightly worse for the wear with his long locks tied back in a lopsided bun, though at least he was wearing pajamas. Uma was in the same clothes from yesterday, giving Chad the feeling that she’d waited outside with Harry, though she looked much neater. 

Jay spared Chad a sorrowful look before his gaze drifted over the others, whereupon his brows furrowed in concern. “Where’s Gil?”

There was a moment where Ben got a horrible look on his face because he didn’t know the answer to that question and realized no one else did either. “… in his room, probably.”

“Didn’t you two come in together?” It wasn’t exactly an accusation, but it was on its way to becoming one, so Chad cut Jay off at the pass while he finished loading up the two serving platters.

“Gil stayed the night in our room,” he explained, setting the bowl of cut up fruit he’d found in the fridge next to the pancakes and sausage patties on the counter and calling that a breakfast well-done. “As you can imagine, he’s very upset.”

Before Harry could snarl a response, which it seemed like he was going to, Evie, Doug, and Gil trailed into the room, Gil’s hair neatly pulled back in a fishtail braid, wearing one of Doug’s shirts and Jay’s lounge pants.

At the sight of this, Harry redirected his anger, aiming his glare at Evie. “Felt like stealing someone else, _too_?”

“No,” Chad interrupted tiredly, hoping it would act as a verbal metaphoric spritz of water to the face. This boy, it was like training a cat. “Gil was upset. He’s allowed to be upset and he’s allowed to want space.” And if this was the continuous atmosphere surrounding them, it was no wonder that he’d sought out Chad and his fiancés. “Gil,” he began quietly, turning his gaze to the other blond. “Would you like to share with them the things you told us?” 

There was a tense beat where Gil looked at him with blatant fear, seeming to shrink in on himself before his gaze drifted to the ground in what was likely shame. “No,” he said, shaking his head, and while he couldn’t see his partners’ reactions, Chad could, and all of them seemed to hurt for this fact.

“…could _we_ tell them?” Evie asked, giving his elbow a gentle squeeze. 

Gil took a moment to consider this, then nodded, still staring down at the floor. “Okay.”

Some shoulders relaxed after that, even though they really shouldn’t. 

Chad decided to take the brunt of this himself, because Evie was already going to have it rough as it was with Mal’s looming wrath. “Gil… doesn’t fully understand why my engagement was broken with you guys,” Chad explained as nicely as possible. “So he’s concerned that he might do something or say something wrong that would lead to _his_ engagement being broken as well.”

There was a terrible moment where they processed the words, and then Uma was moving, pulling the second mate into her arms. “ _Gilly_ ,” she whispered, cupping his jaw with exaggerated care. “Have you been worried about that this whole time?” After a beat, Gil nodded, and somehow the others’ expressions managed to get even guiltier. “Sweetheart, you’re _ours_. You’re not going anywhere.”

“Yeah, but,” Gil sniffed, fingers twisting in the fabric of his pants. “Kit was ours too, and you still made him go.”

Something shuttered in Uma’s expression, something Chad couldn’t place. “That was different, Gil.”

“But _how_?” the blond pressed. “I still don’t know _why_.” He aimed a beseeching look at the others, making Chad think this was a question he had asked many times, and every one of those times before, he’d been denied an explanation because of how hard it was to give. 

Uma seemed to register this, then sighed, taking Gil’s hands in hers. “Then I’ll explain it to you,” she said, shooting a look to the others. “C’mon.”

“Okay,” Gil whispered, and then the two of them exited the kitchen, which was likely better in the long run for both of them. 

At the table, Ben was dragging a hand across his face, sharing a miserable look with Mal while Jay watched after Uma and Gil’s retreat, a weary expression on his face. 

Harry rose with a scowl. “Ye should have told us about this yesterday.”

“You were in a field yesterday,” Chad pointed out, grateful when Evie and Doug moved to join him, Doug giving his shoulder a comforting squeeze he, frankly, did not deserve. “So I’m not sure how we would have managed that.”

Before Harry could spit out a new response, Mal rose to her feet as well, wearing a sense of composure that didn’t seem to meet up with her previously exhibited behavior. “Evie?” she asked in her Lady of the Court interview voice, the one that was deceptively calm in the wake of very dumb questions. “May I speak with you privately for a moment?”

_That_ sounded like a horrible idea, but Evie was already nodding, forcing a small smile as she managed to glide towards the kitchen door. They even hooked their arms together, though both of their shoulders were tense, defensively hunched, everything about their disposition seeming like a forced mask. It was a confrontation that needed to happen eventually, but Chad still felt for Evie. He trusted her, he and Doug both did, but that didn’t make difficult conversations with your best friend easier to navigate, especially when that best friend seemed already so unbalanced.

Chad could only wish her the best and hope she steered them towards a location where she could make a quick retreat if needed.

“Doug?” Ben spoke up suddenly, startling the dwarf kin out of his worried stupor with a blink. “Could I have a private word with you as well?”

While Chad had expected Mal to corner Evie, this Chad had _not_ expected, but Doug had, based on the resigned look on his face. It reminded Chad that Ben and Doug had been friends since middle school, and with that friendship likely came a certain code of understanding. Like how you didn’t date or propose to your friends’ exes. That seemed like a thing people did.

“Sure, Ben,” Doug said, and for the two of them there were no put-upon airs of friendship. They maintained a polite distance from each other, Ben’s hands folded behind his back because he didn’t know what else to do with them where Doug kept his at his sides, and Chad could do nothing but watch and _hope_ and be very frustrated by the concept of _private conversations_.

They needed to be done, but still. _Annoying_.

“So,” Chad said when it was just him and the last of his ex-fiancés in the kitchen. “Would you guys like a word as well?”

“Sure,” Jay cut in before Harry could, slipping into a forced air of casual _suaveness_ that had him leaning against the counter with a flirtatious grin that may as well be a suit of armor. “How have you been?”

“Before this trip I was doing pretty okay,” Chad admitted, deciding that he may as well take care of the dirty dishes in a bid to keep himself occupied. “It took a while for me to get there, but I managed.”

“How?” Harry snarled. “With their _love_?”

“With therapy, Hook,” Chad drawled, shooting the pirate a frustrated look. “Therapy and establishing a support system and yes, eventually, managing to date again, which also took a very long time.”

“Did it?” Harry challenged, and Chad thought Jay would have been annoyed to have his interrogation session interrupted but he was unphased, watching Chad’s face carefully. “Did it, _really_?”

“What are you so mad about, Harry?” It needed to be asked, even if Chad wouldn’t necessarily enjoy the answer.

It was Jay that replied, his voice hard. “We fought for you,” he explained. “When Ben wanted to- to _end_ your engagement, we fought for you. We thought it was stupid. And wrong.”

Chad had to force himself to pause, force himself to relax to keep himself from snarling about how they hadn’t _tried hard enough_ , but then Harry was talking again.

“And _then_ ye had to go and prove him right!” Harry snarled, walking around the length of the table so he could face Chad head on. “Ye proved that you _weren’t_ really in it for us – ye just didn’t want to be alone. We set ye off and ye never called, ye never sought us out, ye didn’t fight for shit _-_ ”

“Was that some _test_?” Chad felt flabbergasted at the thought of it, overwhelmed by the distinct stupidity of such an option, but then he realized by their knowing expressions that yes, that was _exactly_ what it had been. “Were you guys expecting me to- to go against your wishes and _throw_ myself at you when you’d so very clearly betrayed my trust? How would I- How would you even begin to think that I could manage such a thing? My grandfather literally spent the few weeks prior to that trying to _murder_ me and then you assholes _dump_ me and you’re sitting there, in your protective group, wondering how I – the one with the _least_ social exposure – didn’t find a way to win you back, when I spent the first two weeks after our breakup in a depressive slump!”

Distantly, in a far corner of Chad’s mind, he hoped that the others had gotten far enough away that they hadn’t heard this, though in the moment he felt too betrayed to give a shit. How could they expect that of him? After his life had been completely upended, they’d been waiting for him to fight back instead of respecting their wishes, after dealing with a lifetime of abandonment issues. 

“ _Fuck_ ,” Chad hissed, hunching over protectively as he pressed a hand against his chest, trying to steady his breathing. 

He’d left his damn inhaler upstairs in their room – stupid of him, and he needed to find a way to regulate his breathing because Evie and Doug were likely also getting ripped apart verbally and couldn’t help him. 

“I wish I could stop loving you,” Chad whispered, leaning forward until his head was resting against the counter so he could hide his tears. “I _hate_ loving you guys. I just wish it would stop. I want it to _stop_.”

They didn’t say anything while he pitifully cried in front of them, didn’t move until Chad had managed to wear himself out. When the tears had settled as much as they could, he straightened, exiting the room without even a word, slipping into the closest secret passage way and setting off to find Doug or Evie. They needed to regroup again. 

Mostly, they needed to cuddle. Just a little bit.

The rest would come with time.

-:-:-:-:-:-

It was Evie he found first. Or rather, the tail-end of Mal’s one-sided shouting match with Evie, her voice carrying through the secret door like a siren call.

“- _supposed to be my friend!_ ” he heard Mal shout before there was the furious retreat of footsteps, the air painfully quiet for the following moment before he could hear the sound of Evie’s quiet sobs. 

Chad wasted no time slipping out of the secret passageway, locating Evie crumpled on the floor, as though her legs could no longer hold her. Her hands were pressed against her face, as though she was desperate to cover her unsightly tears, and Chad moved to curl around her, to act as a shield from the rest of the world.

“She’ll come around,” Chad whispered, rubbing her arms as she shivered into his touch. “She loves you too much not to.”

“ _No_ ,” Evie gasped. “She _doesn’t_ , t-that’s the _problem_.”

There was a painful moment where she froze, likely having not intended to share that, while Chad tried to steady his breathing, processing _what_ , exactly, she’d said.

“…Evie,” Chad said carefully, keeping his voice low. “Did… did you date me so Mal would hate you?”

For a moment, she didn’t say anything.

“M-Maybe,” she gasped, the words seemingly ripped from her. “I- I guess I really am _wicked_.”

“No,” Chad soothed, understanding the pieces that finally settled into place. “No, you’re just human. You were just trying to protect yourself.”

“N-Not even that,” she pressed, leaning into him. “Or… not _just_ that. I thought-” She inhaled sharply, fresh tears pouring down her cheeks. “…I didn’t even tell Doug. But I thought- if we could have _you_ , then at least I could have someone Mal loved… if she- if she couldn’t love me.”

“ _Evie_.” Chad ached for her, his eyes feeling warm with sympathetic tears as he thought of the heartbreak she must be facing.

“I _know_ ,” Evie gasped. “I know. I _hate_ it. I _hate it_ so much. Fuck. Just… I love her- _them_ and she- she never noticed. And I didn’t care, because we were a team, and then she- with Uma and the others and-” She sobbed. “I’ve been here _the whole time_ and she never saw me, and that hurts, it _hurts_ but I tried to be happy for her but now-” She trailed off with a gasp. “Now it’s all falling to pieces.” She curled her head against his chest. “And now you and Doug will _hate_ me for being dumb and greedy.”

“You are neither of those things,” Chad assured her immediately, because that was what was important. “And Doug and I could never hate you.” In a way, this was far from a surprise, based on Evie’s behavior and the attachment the Isle kids had for one another, it made sense. “I’ll be the first person to tell you that loving more than one person doesn’t make you greedy, okay? It means you’ve got a generous heart and I, of all people, am not going to hold your love for Mal against you. For any of them.” Because Chad loved them too, however much he tried to fight it. “I know it’s hard, letting them go, but… but we have to.” She sobbed a little bit harder and Chad held her close, rocked her through it because this was a breakdown he’d already had once before, and he understood how rough it could be. “But Doug and I will always be there for you, no matter how many people you love.”

Communicating that was important, he knew that much when he felt her body relax ever so slightly, as though that had been a latent fear.

“I hate this,” Evie gasped, her fingers flexing uselessly in the air. “I _hate_ this. Why won’t it stop?”

“It’ll stop,” Chad assured her, continuing to rock her slowly. “Time with pass day by day, and with every week it will get a little less painful, until… until it all seems like a bad dream.”

That was what Chad hoped for. It was what he was still working towards, even though he’d yet to achieve it.

Evie let out another shuddered breath. “…I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to apologize, Evie,” Chad whispered. “Not to me, not to Doug. You’re good in our book.”

She didn’t respond, which provided Chad no comfort, but he knew better than to push for too much too soon. They’d get through to her in time. Until then, they just had to stay together, and hope things didn’t fall apart before they got through this.

-:-:-:-:-:-

They met Doug back in their bedroom, the dwarf kin furiously trying to wash away his tear tracks in the bathroom sink. 

Ah, so Ben had probably ‘gone beast’ on him, and it was disheartening to know that none of them had been spared this, though they didn’t comment on it. 

They took turns cleaning up, Chad offering them the emergency breakfast bars he’d stashed in his bag because they sure as shit weren’t going downstairs anytime soon before they cuddled on the bed together. 

“What’d Ben say?” Evie whispered as they cradled Doug between them, both of them needing something to hold onto and Doug needing to know it was okay to be shaken up sometimes.

“…that he was disappointed in me,” Doug whispered, voice barely audible. “That I was… _allowing_ myself to get taken advantage of. That I was taking advantage of you guys. That…” His voice cracked, new trails of tears leaking form the corners of his eyes. “-he doesn’t _trust_ me anymore.”

“Oh, baby,” Evie whispered, wiping at his tears carefully. They both knew how much Ben’s opinion meant to Doug. It was almost his everything, his world, and the idea that Ben might want to rip that away was unfairly devastating. “Sweetheart. He’ll come around.”

“Y-Yeah, I don’t think he will,” Doug said, breath hitching. “He um- he won’t say it but um- I think he’s jealous.”

“That I’m dating you guys?” Chad asked, squeezing himself closer to Doug’s back.

“That I’ve got both of you,” Doug elaborated. “I think he’s- he’s mad I have you and he doesn’t.”

That meant – that was a distinction, one that included Evie as well as Chad, who were the entirety of Doug’s people. 

It left Evie floundering. “You think-? _Me_?”

“You don’t see the way he looks at you,” Doug whispered. “The way _all_ of them-”

“Not all of them,” Evie gasped, her eyes squeezed shut. “Mal hates me.”

“Mal will get over it,” Doug said, sounding so very certain that Chad didn’t feel doubtful, because Doug had known Mal longer than he had. “Once she figures out what she wants, and that’s _you-_ ”

“ _Doug_.” Small, regal tears were rolling down Evie’s cheeks, clumping in her eyelashes like an artistic vision of sorrow.

“I’ve always known, Evie,” Doug said, voice quiet. “I’ve always known and I tried anyway, I _pushed_ just to see if I could and-” He trailed off, letting his eyes fall shut. “I didn’t think I’d make it this far.”

“Well, you _did_ ,” Chad pressed, because that was important. “So don’t get all defeatist now.”

“Kit-”

“ _No_.” Chad felt like he was going to have to say that word a hundred times over the course of this retreat, and he was willing to say it a hundred more just to get his point across. “You are _ours_ , that’s not a negotiation. No matter how many people we love-” Doug flinched on the word ‘we’, Evie doing her best to rush and sooth him, though it didn’t quite work. “Doug-”

“I just-” His mouth opened and shut a couple of times, Doug losing his grasp on words the way he did when he was truly frazzled. “Can we- can we just lay here, please? I just- we need to-”

“Okay,” Chad said, tucking his head against the curve of Doug’s spine. “Okay, we can do that, Doug. We can do that for as long as you need.”

And that was the truth of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, thanks for the very generous outpouring of feedback and enthusiasm, guys!!! It was a really nice start to the end of this series, and I am forever grateful for all of your support. I promise, only a little more angst to go, and then we’ll be back to our happy endings ^_^
> 
> We’re in the homestretch now, team! I’ll be posting the final chapter on Wednesday/Thursday, along with the first chapter of my new story – one of the very few non-poly fics I have in the works. That’s right, I somehow managed to create a story that featured only Chad/Ben. It takes place pre-Descendants 1 and is mostly a comedy, so I hope you guys stick around to check it out!
> 
> Story notes:
> 
> Shoutout to the very subtle ‘Chasing Cars’ reference ;D
> 
> Let’s just assume Harry spent the entire night shaking his fist at the stars like the asshole he is. 
> 
> Until next time :)


	3. A Brand New Beginning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING – There is a very brief reference to Chad’s biological grandmother committing suicide near the end of this chapter. It is not explored in any detail, but it is mentioned. Please see the endnotes for more details.

There wasn’t a moment Chad could pinpoint when, exactly, he had been thrown into coherency, ripped from his slumber with a sort of ruthlessness that only came from his nightmares or panic attacks – both of which had been happening less and less frequently throughout the course of his reign as _Prince Chadwick_. That said, he was not out of practice pushing himself into full consciousness, so even though he didn’t know _why_ he was awake, his body knew that it needed to happen, and that it needed to happen fairly quickly.

The first thing Chad did upon pulling himself out of sleep was take in his surroundings – first for threats, of which he saw none – and then for Doug and Evie. It was rare for Evie to have nightmares nowadays, and even rarer for Doug, but there was still the odd moment of panic where anxiety kept Doug from being able to rest his eyes, and Chad and Evie were always sure to comfort him, to stay awake with him until his mind finally started to wind down. 

So when Chad noticed that Doug was missing from their bed, he assumed that was likely the problem. Odd, that the dwarf kin hadn’t woken them, but with the growing tensions they’d had to deal with over the last couple days, unique behavior wasn’t entirely unexplainable. 

That didn’t make Chad feel better when he didn’t see a light coming from the bathroom or office, or even out on the balcony. Wasn’t comforted when he checked the nightstand only to see that Doug’s journal was missing, as were his glasses and his phone and tablet – a folded piece of paper lying in their stead. 

Chad had barely a thought before he was waking Evie, turning on the lamp and snatching up the folded piece of paper – torn from Doug’s journal, and scanning over the contents with growing dread. 

“…what?” Evie mumbled, rubbing at her eyes. “What is it?”

“Doug,” was all Chad managed to say, passing over the piece of paper. “Grab your robe and meet me on the front lawn.”

“Why?” Evie sounded a lot more coherent once Chad pulled himself out of bed, crossing to the balcony door in long strides. “Kit, what is this?”

“Something dumb,” Chad said, and that was all he had time for before he was more or less throwing himself down the garden trellis. It wasn’t so much of a climb as it was a controlled descent, and Chad didn’t even realize he’d neglected to put on shoes before he was dashing around the side of the house, just in time to hear a limousine pull into the Lodge’s driveway. 

There were a lot of ways the situation could have unfolded from there. 

Bodily tackling Doug onto the grass probably shouldn’t have been one of them, but Chad’s panicked and sleep-deprived brain could only manage so much, and the need to keep Doug _there_ overwhelmed Chad’s usual respectable decision making paradigm.

The good news was, Doug literally hadn’t seen it coming, which gave Chad plenty of time to pin him in place (fully dressed and totally packed) while the poor chauffeur looked on in confusion. 

“Um… your highness?” the driver asked, seeming quite tempted to get back in his car and drive away from this madness while he still could.

“It was a drill,” Chad told him just as Doug registered what was happening. “Sorry about that. We don’t actually need your services after all.”

“ _Kit_ ,” Doug said, somewhat pained, and Chad couldn’t actually tell if that was an emotional hurt or a physical one and he also couldn’t manage the strength of mind to care.

“Could you email your information to my assistant?” Chad said, grateful that he’d already passed Mrs. Charlotte’s information along to the drivers. “You’ll be compensated and given a bonus according to your speedy response. Thank you so much for coming, please leave.”

“ _Please_ ,” Evie said, strolling down the front path with a polite grin, nice and easy, as though she _hadn’t_ just sprinted through the Lodge to get there.

To the chauffeur’s credit, he _did_ turn his attention to where Doug was still pinned to the ground, until the dwarf kin eventually sighed. “You can go,” he said, and _finally_ the driver got back in his car.

Chad may or may not have kept Doug pinned to the ground until the limo was safely back down the road, but he was pretty sure Evie wouldn’t hold that against him. 

Doug might, because apparently Doug wanted to _leave_ , but-

One thing at a time.

Doug sighed again, something that changed into a gasp when Chad more or less swept him off his feet, carrying his fiancé back into the house while Evie chose a room for them to strategically retreat to. It was another one of the lounges that had a secret passage way, and while they _could_ technically use it to get back to their own room, Chad knew if he had to wait a second longer to have this conversation, he was likely going to break down.

Evie seemed to get this and locked the door behind them, turning on a few lamps while Chad carried Doug over to the couch and plopped down on it with the dwarf kin still in his lap. Evie followed a second later, prompting Chad to turn Doug until he could be properly cradled between them, and it was then that he realized that Evie had dragged Doug’s rolling suitcase back inside with them, because he’d packed. Because he’d wanted to _leave_.

“… _Guys_ ,” Doug said, like they were being unreasonable, like this hurt him, and Chad found himself tightening his hold on him.

“No,” Chad said, hooking his chin over Doug’s shoulder. “We promised when we started this that we wouldn’t make decisions for each other. That we would keep an open line of communication.”

“You sneaking off in the middle of the night because you think you’re ‘getting in the way’ is _not_ an open line of communication,” Evie chided, cradling Doug’s face between her hands so he couldn’t duck away. “ _Doug-_ ”

Their fiancé flinched. “I think-” he began, throat bobbing in a nervous swallow. “I hate to be the one to say this but I- I think both of you might have just settled, for me. Because I was dependable and consistent, and as much as I appreciate that-”

“There’s no _settling_ on you,” Chad said, letting his words hush close to Doug’s ear. “Doug, you’re brilliant and patient-”

“And goofy,” Evie added with a grin. “And _kind_ and so very careful with us.”

“And really good looking,” Chad added, pressing a kiss just under Doug’s ear. “We can trust you, with our feelings. Trust you to see the worst of us and still want to be around to pick up the pieces. You handle legislature so well and you’re so wonderfully _practical_ and you love _music-_ ”

“-and your heritage,” Evie continued. “You make us stop to appreciate the sunset. To look into the practicality of stone and acknowledge all the potential it has to offer. You could live in a library-”

“Kit could too,” Doug flushed.

“We _all_ could,” Chad said. “And that is but one of the very many things we love about you but please don’t- don’ t think that we’re _settling_ because we – by quite unfortunate happenstance – happen to love a bunch of flashy assholes as well as a practical, down-to-earth _Doug_.”

It took a moment for the words to really settle, but when they did, Doug started trembling in their grasp, as though he’d finally allowed the floodgates to draw open.

“I just- I can see where this is going,” Doug whispered, his hands trembling against Evie’s wrists. “As much as you guys fight, no matter how stressful it may be- all of you are going to see past the _nothing_ that is keeping you apart and- I didn’t want to- to get in the way of that, or-” He squeezed his eyes shut with a gasp, shuddering. “Worse, I didn’t want to be kept around out of some kind of obligation-”

“Douglass, son of Dopey,” Evie said, tilting their foreheads together so that Doug was forced to look at her. “From now until the day we die, you are _ours_. This I do swear by the stones of the earth, by the rocks that may keep us. May our bonds stay strong as the purest gem that may sparkle in the night sky, until such a time we are claimed by the stone once more, there to enter the halls of our fallen brothers.”

“Douglass, son of Dopey,” Chad repeated, over the hitch in Doug’s chest as he pressed himself close to his fiancé, uttering the dwarven marriage vows he and Evie had been studying so very carefully, merging it with the Huntsmen vows his mother had taught him. “From now until the day we die, you are _ours_. My axe will always be at your disposal, to protect and defend, to claim and respect. This I do swear by the stones of the earth we are free to tread on, by the rocks that keep our land full and thriving. May our bonds stay strong as the purest gem and as unyielding as the mother spirit that binds us all together until we are claimed by stone once more, there to enter the halls of our fallen brothers, guided by my father’s people, when the hunt is done.”

By the time he was finished, Doug was crying, silent tears of overwhelmed happiness spilling down his cheeks as they held him between them, offering what comforts they could.

“You are not, nor ever shall be, an obligation, Doug,” Chad whispered, brushing a hand through the half-dwarf’s hair. “You are a _gift_. One we have been taking for granted-”

“ _No_ ,” Doug gasped.

“Yes,” Evie hummed, irrefutable. “You said when we got here that this was going to be hard on all of us, but Chad and I have been taking the brunt of that ourselves, when you’ve been hurting just as much.” She shifted forward, until she could wrap an arm around both of them. “It must be very hard to hear about the two people you love also loving other people, and I’m sorry we haven’t been giving you the reassurance you deserve.”

“But whatever happens,” Chad picked up. “You’re with _us_ , Doug. You’re not someone we settled for; you are someone we are lucky to have. And we are dedicated to you – fully, truly.”

“Now,” Evie began quietly. “If you… if you want to leave because you’re not in love with us- because you don’t feel as strongly and you want something else – that’s different. But if you’re leaving because you think that’s what’s good for _us-_ ”

“That’s bullshit,” Chad cut in, to hell with courtesy. “You need to trust what we want. And we want _you_.”

“And maybe we also sometimes want some other assholes,” Evie said. “But where those are _maybes_ , you are a _definitely_.”

“So?” Chad picked up, heart feeling heavy in his throat. “What um… do you have to say?”

There was a moment before Doug spoke up, though it was a relief when he let out a watery laugh. “Well, seeing as you two already pledged yourselves to me, it would be a little rude to back out now.”

“But totally within your right,” Evie told him, and then he laughed again, relieved and very, very happy.

“Evie, hold him,” Chad said, motioning for the princess to sit back while he turned Doug again so that his back was to her chest.

“Kit…” Doug’s cheeks flushed in the low light of the room as Chad began undoing his belt. “You don’t have to-”

“Want to,” Chad said, and then he got to spend the next ten minutes pleasuring his fiancé until he was falling apart with happy croons, shuddering in Evie’s grasp while the princess sucked on his lips, nipping and biting at his neck until Doug was properly debauched.

“ _Fuck_ ,” Doug gasped when Chad finally pulled off him, the blond having milked whatever interest remained until Doug was thoroughly spent. “Oh, _wow_. I- I need to-”

“You don’t have to do anything,” Evie soothed, running a hand through his hair.

“If you really want to keep it even, though, you could eat Evie out,” Chad offered, knowing Doug wouldn’t feel better until at least _one_ of them had received some sort of pleasure, and the dwarf kin’s gaze lit up with determination. 

Which was why Chad should have been less surprised when Doug turned and started to push Evie’s nightgown up her legs, to the soundtrack of the princess’s giggles.

“I meant in our _room_ ,” Chad said as Doug eased her panties down. “But this works.”

“Laugh it up, now,” Evie murmured, shivering at the first feel of Doug’s tongue. “I’m taking care of you next.”

“Looking forward to it,” Chad said, then dedicated himself to adding his own marks to Doug’s skin, realizing that they had a busy night ahead of them after all. Followed by probably some more talking, and paperwork filing since they’d sort of gotten married (Doug would need to return the vows later, for it to count), but until then, they had this.

And this was pretty damn good.

-:-:-:-:-:-

They ended up in their bedroom eventually, spent the night reassuring and ravishing each other’s brains out until they were marked up, sappy messes, totally and thoroughly spent. They took another bath together that left Doug whining at Chad and Evie’s teamwork, but they’d already made the mistake of neglecting Doug once, they weren’t going to do that again. It was worth it, to test the limits of his dwarven stamina, which he always insisted they didn’t need to cater to but how could they resist when he was always so delightfully responsive? 

“You’re trying to kill me,” he complained, slumping exhaustedly against Chad’s chest.

“But it will be a good death,” Evie hummed, and she and Chad high-fived over the sound of Doug’s moaning. 

They redressed in each other’s sleep clothes – Chad opting to take one of Evie’s cotton sleep shirts because he had the legs for it and also it made Doug blush, while Evie dressed herself in Doug’s dwarven style pajamas and Doug took Chad’s light blue loungewear. Upon Doug returning the vows (which he did twice, once moaned through sex as he was cradled between them, and once after the fact, when he was more coherent) they decided to finally break out the engagement rings they’d held onto for so long. 

Each of them had three thin bands designed to be worn together – one representing each of them. Evie’s was made of yellow gold, studded with rubies and sapphires in a graceful swirl. Doug’s was more geometrically patterned, a band of green gold littered with chocolate diamonds and emeralds. To finish out the theme, Chad’s was white gold, designed to mix the artistry of his birth mother’s wedding ring with his dad’s Huntsmen’s ring. It had white diamonds and aquamarines – such was the benefit of marrying into a family of dwarven craftsmen who were honored and delighted to create something not only for their kin, but for the rulers of Hanover. 

They each wore their own band closest to themselves, then mixed the other two so that they were each in the middle and outside – three balanced, in perfect harmony. 

“My dad’s going to be so mad he missed the wedding,” Doug moaned as they climbed back into bed, attempting to protest his spot in the middle, as though Evie and Chad would let him be anywhere else. “Granted, he won’t be _surprised_ , but still.”

“Wise dwarf, that Dopey,” Chad said as he snuggled into Doug’s back, tempted to fondle him some more because this was his _husband_ , wearing his clothes and his ring nestled next to his _wife_ and Chad had that – _finally_. He had that. 

Four years ago, he never would have dared to hope for this much.

And now, here he was.

And here he would always be.

-:-:-:-:-:-

The next time Chad was dragged towards awareness it was with substantially less panic, feeling rested and complete as he took in his partners curled around each other, faces slack with sleep and seeming especially lovely under the soft light of the sun that filtered through the window. Chad took a moment to memorize the scene, wondered if he could find a way to quilt it into commemoration before he heard a soft set of knocks against their door, which must have been what woke him up in the first place.

Chad pulled himself from the bed reluctantly, running a hand lazily through his curls as he wandered over towards the door, pulling it open without further delay because he didn’t really care about presentation all that much anymore. Everything he cared about was in the bed behind him (or waiting in two different kingdoms that were so close and yet so very far), and that was honestly all he needed. 

That was what kept him from being embarrassed when he came face-to-face with a well-dressed Ben, who took in Chad’s borrowed sleepshirt and bare legs with a flush before settling on his neck. Which was, unquestionably, a mess of bruises and hickies and likely the occasional scratch from when Evie had gotten particularly enthusiastic.

“Um.” For once, Ben seemed to be at a lovely loss of words. “It’s um- lunchtime and none of us had seen you so I… volunteered to check on you.”

“Thanks, Ben,” Chad said, genuinely meaning it as he rubbed sleep from his eyes. “We appreciate it.”

“Right.” Ben’s gaze zeroed in on Chad’s hand, catching sight of his engagement ring with an unquestionable focus. “…you guys are engaged now?”

“We’ve been engaged,” Chad replied honestly. “We just decided to start wearing our rings.” There was no need to bring up the whole marriage thing. They’d still have to have a big ceremony later that Ben would have to be invited to as king.

Ben considered him for a tense moment. “…is that the smartest move?”

This was the beginning of a deliberation that Chad didn’t want to be a part of, Ben so thoroughly brainwashed by his father that there was nothing Chad could do for it short of punching him in the face, which would really only make Chad feel better.

“Ben,” he said carefully. “I’m going to shut this door and in- I dunno, half an hour, I’m gonna open it again, and you’re not going to be here.” That was the nicest way he could tell the _king_ to get lost, but fuck it, Chad was a king too. And his army was _awesome_. “Instead, you’re going to be with one of your partners working out one of the issues you have in an attempt to salvage your future. Don’t worry about me- whether this is a bad choice or not is none of your business.”

At that, Ben puffed up, a move so very familiar that he must have learned it from Harry. “It is when its being made by two future members of the Auradon Council.”

“No,” Chad sighed. “It isn’t, because you have no grounds to base an objection on other than the fact that you don’t like that I moved on. If you want a psychological evaluation, you can request one from my therapist.” Who would tell Ben the same thing he had told Chad, that he was ready to date and love again, and perfectly fit to do so. “But to do that, you’re going to have to leave, so bye.”

With that, Chad shut the door, turning deftly on his heel so he could retreat to the comforts of the bed. It was there that he was greeted by a clapping Doug and Evie, both of them wearing expressions with varying degrees of pride.

“Wow,” Evie mused, slumping against Doug’s shoulder. “He sounds especially dumb this morning.”

“Most be _those legs_ ,” Doug said with a wag of his brows, making a show of looking Chad over, and with encouragement like that, it was no wonder Chad climbed into Doug’s lap then and there, Evie egging him on the whole way. 

“Come on, let me-” Doug huffed, and that was all the warning Chad got before he was pressed into the pillows, shirt hiked up and legs spread wide while Doug kissed his way up Chad’s inner thigh, easing his briefs down in teasing motions. 

“He wants _those legs_ over his shoulders,” Evie mused while Doug got to work, her fingers carding gently through Chad’s curls.

“It’s the um- shirt,” Chad gasped when Doug tossed his briefs aside, flushing when it was just him in Evie’s pjs, Doug watching him with an open hunger that made him shake. “I’m pretty crazy about _your_ legs when you wear it.”

“Flatterer,” Evie mused as she pulled him into a soft kiss. “We should make Doug wear it sometime.”

“ _Please_ ,” Chad pressed over Doug’s swallowed whine, the dwarf kin doing his best to pretend it didn’t happen at all by focusing on Chad. 

There was a good chance that Doug had his mouth _fully_ around Chad while Evie had a hand eased up the bottom of his shirt to tease at his nipples when Mal seemed to teleport _through_ the door, Jay hot on her heels because of course they couldn’t have post-wedding wakeup sex without another flare of _drama_. 

“Are you out of you damn mind?!” Mal hissed, startling all of them, though Doug managed to recover, pulling off of Chad and sliding the shirt down before he did his best to block Chad’s _predicament_ from the invaders. “Did he even tell you what that woman taught him to do for sex?!”

It was, quite possibly, the worst thing Mal could have said, because Chad honestly hadn’t thought to tell Doug and Evie about the whole Sex Ed thing. He’d found the matter embarrassing in hindsight, and they’d never really questioned where his knowledge came from, likely attributing it to practicing with his bounty of exes. 

“You’re blowing this out of proportion,” Chad said, straightening up as though he had not just been receiving a blowjob. “You act like she gave me a practical demonstration. She didn’t. The entire process was hands-off, and very helpful-”

“She taught you to always be readily-available for _our_ sexual needs!” Which – okay, she might have, but Chad also really enjoyed having sex with all of them anyway so he didn’t see what the problem was. “Like that’s all you’re good for!”

“ _Obviously_ , that’s not all I’m good for,” Chad snapped, hating the way both Evie and Doug seemed to tense. “And that’s ancient history, now. I, like most people, enjoy having a healthy sexual relationship with-”

“It’s not healthy!” Mal insisted, and Chad was sort of surprised she didn’t follow this up with a petulant stomp of her foot.

“How would you know?” Chad said, climbing out of bed to face her head on now that anger had finally made him flag. He would be _damned_ if he somehow got cockblocked for all eternity by these overreacting assholes. “We haven’t spoken in over a year! Why are you so determined to believe that I haven’t personally grown in the time we’ve been apart? Just because _you_ guys have been stagnating doesn’t mean _I_ have!”

A horrible tension washed over the room, tight and unhappy. He could feel the sorrow pouring off Evie, even though he knew she felt the same way. For all that they’d willingly cast Chad out, they were the ones that hadn’t managed to recover. Despite it being their choice, not his, they were the ones still dealing with the aftershocks. 

It wasn’t fair, _none_ of it was fair but the way they kept forcing these beliefs on him – the way they kept looking for who he used to be compared with who he was _now_ was frustrating. 

“…I suppose congratulations are in order,” Mal said eventually. “For your engagement. May you have many happy moons.”

It was an old fae adage, one Chad had discovered in a book in the far recesses of the Auradon Castle library. He would mourn that this was what it took to get to hear Mal use it, but he was out of tears.

“…congrats,” Jay added, the first and last time he spoke before the left the room.

Mal teleported them out again, leaving the three of them exactly as they’d been before, with a new swell of tension.

“So,” Doug said after a moment. “Bath?”

“…yeah,” Evie sighed.

Chad didn’t say anything, didn’t have the words for it, but he nodded, knowing they needed a strategic retreat. Knowing he needed to explain. 

-:-:-:-:-:-

The mess with Chad’s sex training came out in the bathtub, Chad going over what he’d reviewed with his therapist about his worth and his still adamant view that the practical aspects of it had been really helpful. He was grateful for the skills he had now, there was no point in ignoring them, and he apologized for forgetting to share that much with Doug and Evie. It hadn’t been important to him, though apparently it was still quite a sore subject with Mal. 

“She’s protective of what’s hers,” Evie whispered eventually, looking a bit forlorn.

“Well,” Chad said. “I’m not _hers_ anymore. I’m _yours_.” And she didn’t get to be mad on his behalf anymore.

“Tell that to her inner dragon,” Evie said, and no one decided to argue that, the three of them resting in silence as they tried to gear themselves up for another day. 

At the very least, they would face it together. That was something.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Considering the fact that Chad knew well and good he had been engaged to a handful of people that did not _let things go_ , it was no surprise that the others managed to come up with a suitable countermeasure in light of Chad’s apparent ‘engagement’.

It just so happened to involve finally setting a date for their wedding, which seemed like _lunacy_ considering the amount of issues they had, but let it not be said they were not spiteful.

It was moments like this that made Chad severely tempted to break out the alcohol they had so carefully hidden away and drown his sorrows until he couldn’t formulate a coherent thought anymore. At last he was beginning to understand the motivations of that Jay from so long ago, who had been so angry and frustrated and _hurt_ that he’d taken to running away from his friends and throwing himself into a pit of drunkenness so deep that it couldn’t hurt anymore. It all made _blinding_ sense now, and if Captain Anozie hadn’t already explained how Chad’s father had been crippled by the siren call of wine then Chad would have been tempted to try it out himself, if only to make the relentless buzz under his skin _finally_ fade away.

He should be checking on Doug, right now. Or Evie. He should be reviewing the status of the new Sardinian public policies that were coming into effect, or looking over the latest reports of the new Huntsmen initiates, but instead he was posed on the balcony to their room, looking out over the expanse of the Auradon countryside, wondering how a place so lovely could hold emotions so bitter and cruel. 

“How’d ye know?”

For a moment, Chad thought he’d hallucinated the voice, but a second later Harry crawled over the edge of the balcony, likely having mounted the trellis to reach Chad without being seen. Once more, he’d underestimated Harry’s determination and ingenuity.

“That first conversation,” Harry continued when Chad was too tired to respond, the first mate approaching him with a level of caution he usually offered for his lovers alone. “Ye said- ye _knew_ that Duke Adam spoke to us. How… how did ye know that?”

It had taken a lot of time and a fair amount of hindsight for Chad to realize the extent of Duke Adam’s actions, and it had taken even longer for his anger to fade into a pained sort of apathy. 

It was because of that apathy that he was able to answer Harry’s question with a reasonable tone instead of screaming his heart out like an absolute child. “He didn’t like the idea of multiple royals being included in a polygamous marriage,” Chad explained with a shrug. “That was one of the things I’d accidentally eavesdropped from him. It didn’t matter so much at the time, but…” Chad didn’t laugh because he couldn’t manage the energy. “He couldn’t get you guys to dump me for _that_ so he spun a different story, ‘ _for my own good_ ’, and then it wasn’t a problem anymore.” The joke was on him – Chad was marrying Evie _and_ Doug whether the Duke liked it or not. Frankly, Chad had already had his fair share of catering to the whims of dukes that were stuck in their ways. “Face it, you got played.”

“You… you think that Ben’s _dad_ …” Harry said, obviously struggling to understand this. “That guy, with the glasses and the corny jokes – _that_ guy-”

“Was king,” Chad interrupted, bored with a thought process he had already traveled. “And a beast. He knows how to get what he wants.” Chad, because he was tired, because he should be useful but really just wanted to call his mom and dad instead, decided to cut this short. “You can ask Ben if you don’t believe me,” he said, pulling away from the balcony. “He knew about his father’s objections. He likely didn’t think he’d act on them like _that_ but…” Chad shrugged again, helpless. “What can you do?”

“You…” Harry looked so very lost, and Chad ached for him, wanted to cradle the first mate against his chest and tell him everything would be okay, but that wasn’t his place anymore. “You _needed_ this,” he said, repeating the familiar dictum in an effort to maintain his composure. “You… you deserved a chance to be free-”

“Goodnight, Harry.” Chad didn’t want to hear anymore, not when it had almost broken him the first time. “I’m sure you can find your way back to your own room.”

“Kit.” He could hear the first mate following after him, likely reaching out a hand. “ _Kitten-_ ”

Chad slammed the door to the balcony in his face, locking it and shutting the curtains before he could do something stupid like look at Harry’s dumb fucking face. 

Chad _should_ be productive, but he knew better than anyone else that he was useless in this condition. 

It was with that in mind that he pushed himself over towards their bed, managing to flop himself across it before surrendering entirely.

_Hello depression, my old friend._

What a fun day tomorrow was going to be.

-:-:-:-:-:-

Evie and Doug don’t bother trying to make Chad get out of bed the next day, proving that they were far too kind for Chad to ever deserve. They _did_ make sure he took his medication along with a piece of toast, and Evie put on one of the recordings of his father reading an entirely indulgent retelling of his parents’ story, followed after by his mom reading the tale of Snow White and the Huntsman, Chad running the two of them on loop as a pleasant sort of background noise. Occasionally, he’d switch over to Miss Charlotte reading the tale of the Princess and the Frog, and Chad would wonder what it was like to love someone so much you’d stay a _frog_ with them. He imagined it was a hell of a lot.

By the time dinner rolled around he was doing better, enough to walk and talk, clean himself up and change into new clothes so he could receive a status update from Doug and Evie.

The update went as such:

“There’s been a new rift,” Evie said, sighing as they took their meal in their bedroom, safe from the heightened feelings of the royal couple. “It seems like it’s poor Ben against everyone. Mal’s trying to help him out of loyalty, and Gil’s just confused-” They allowed a moment of silence to despair for Gil, who really didn’t understand or deserve the feelings of conflict getting thrown at him. “-but the other three are just… mad.”

“So,” Doug sighed, poking at his sandwich carefully. “It’s business as usual, then.”

The comment was so wry that it took Chad by surprise, had him choking on a laugh about the same time as Evie, until eventually the three of them were consumed with a helpless sort of laughter, because it was either do that or _cry_. 

It was when they were trailing off into spastic giggles, wiping tears from their faces that they pretended were from mirth and not exhaustion, that they heard the door handle to the balcony click and shudder a few times before the door was inevitably pushed open. 

Chad was already on his feet, preparing to summon the energy to tell off whoever the _fuck_ decided to barge in on them, when a tearful Gil pushed into the room, dropping a set of lock picking tools he’d likely gotten from Jay.

“ _Sorry_ ,” he croaked, rubbing at his eyes. “S-Sorry. Just I- they’re all mad and I don’t- I don’t know who I’m supposed to help and none of them will talk to me _anyway-_ ”

“Oh, _Gil_ ,” Evie breathed, moving at the same time as Chad, until they had the blond pirate cradled between them, aching for the tears that leaked down Gil’s face.

“It’s okay, sweetheart,” Chad said, knew the words weren’t a lie as he and Evie guided Gil to a couch, Doug taking care of closing the balcony door behind him. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“That’s what they keep _saying_ ,” Gil gasped, fingers trembling against his knees. “But everyone’s mad _anyway_ and I can’t help them because I’m _s-stupid_.”

“No, you’re not,” Evie soothed, carding a hand through Gil’s limp curls before pressing a kiss to his forehead. “You’re sweet and bright and _Gil_ , and you’re perfect just the way you are.”

“They’re trying to protect you,” Chad said, curling an arm around Gil’s broad shoulders. “And I know that _sucks-_ ” Because Chad had experienced it before, was out of the relationship because of it. “But know that they do it because they love you.”

“Except they don’t trust me,” Gil sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “I want to help, but they won’t _tell_ me what’s going on and I’m too dumb to figure it out on my own and that’s what… what happened to you, right?” The words made Chad freeze in place, Doug inhaling sharply behind them, but Gil pressed onwards, like he was finally putting the pieces together. “They… _we_ all ganged up on you and decided what was right, but it wasn’t right.” He let out a quiet sob, letting his face fall into his large hands. “It wasn’t right at _all_.”

“No,” Chad whispered, distantly aware of the quiet comfort Evie offered. “It wasn’t. But you tried to do right be me, Gil, and I appreciate that. I’ll _always_ appreciate that.”

“It wasn’t enough,” Gil gasped, the sound wet and heavy. “It was never enough.”

Further extensions of comfort were interrupted by a knock on the door, and thankfully Evie shot Doug a desperate look because if Chad had to answer it, he was going to punch whoever was on the other side. 

“I’ll get him,” Evie whispered, tugging Gil towards the suite’s office. “Unless you want me to-”

“No.” Chad shook his head. He didn’t want Evie dealing with them anymore than he wanted to do this himself. “Keep away for as long as he needs.”

Gil was finally allowing himself a moment to breakdown; the others didn’t get to barge in yet and interrupt whatever self-imposed quest they had to interrupt that. Chad would rather hear what they had to say the first time.

He held onto this decision as he heard the office door click shut behind Gil and Evie, held onto it tighter when Doug finally guided their new guest inside, revealing that it was, of all people, _Ben_.

Which, Chad supposed, shouldn’t be that big a surprise.

The king’s gaze wandered towards the barely-touched dinner, brows furrowed by Evie’s absence, before his eyes finally settled on Chad. “Sorry to interrupt,” he greeted stiffly, formally. “I’d hoped to have a word.”

“By all means,” Chad said, past the point of etiquette. 

They ended up sitting on the couch Gil had just been crying on, Doug and Chad facing Ben in an armchair, the king looking sorely tempted to fidget. As it was, they waited in a tense silence before he finally spoke up. “What you said about my father-”

“Was true, Ben.” Chad didn’t want to fully hash it out again. “And I understand that you think too highly of the man to think that he might be capable of such a thing – but you can either go off the assumption that I am, in fact, an idiot who doesn’t know what he wants-”

“Not an idiot,” Ben interrupted the same way he had the day he’d ended things with Chad, so beautifully earnest and carful, grinning through the obvious pity. “Sheltered, maybe-”

“ _Or_ ,” Chad continued. “You can accept that your dad did a shitty thing to support a belief he had already _explicitly_ told you he had. Now, it’s taken me some time, but I can forgive your past assumption that I’m an idiot because you thought you were doing the right thing, _but-_ ” Chad leaned forward carefully, in that intimidating shift Captain Anozie had taught him for more intense negotiation sessions. “-if you commit to that belief now, _again_ , rather than accept the damn facts, you can take your imbecilic sack of _horseshit_ out of this room and _out of my life_ , you unquestionable _moron_.”

Chad’s chest was heaving by the time he was done with it, startled to find Doug’s hand twined in his own, startled to find that he was close to tears again, but whatever – in for a penny, in for a pound.

For a moment, Ben just stared at him. Stared at him like he was a foreign creature, like he could barely fathom how Chad existed in his life at all.

And then, he was crying.

Big, fat, alligator tears.

“Holy _shit_ ,” Chad muttered before he and Doug awkwardly surrounded the king, Chad crouching next to his chair and almost flinching when Ben all but collapsed against his chest.

Between what had to be painful sounding sobs, Chad managed to catch the word ‘ _sorry_ ’, which he suspected Ben was saying over and over again in an attempt to be sure Chad actually _heard_ it.

“Breathe, Ben,” Chad soothed, grateful when Doug handed Ben his handkerchief, the king staring at it in obvious sorrow that he would be extended such a kindness before Doug helped him actually _use_ it. “Nice and slow for me, buddy.”

“I b-b- _broke_ it,” Ben gasped when he was closer to coherent, face red and blotchy and entirely uncomposed. “I thought- I- I always have to do the r-right thing and-”

“You’re only human, Ben,” Chad sighed, knew that whatever anger he had was already fading from him, knowing full well that he’d been just as guilty of putting Ben up on a pedestal as anyone else. “You’re allowed to make mistakes.”

“N-Not with _you_ ,” Ben gasped. “Not with _you guys_. But I fucked up once and then it seemed like I couldn’t stop- I couldn’t do the right thing and everything just kept getting worse-”

“You’ve got a lot of passionate personalities in that group, Ben” Chad reminded him, running a hand through the king’s hair in a way he never thought he’d achieve again. “And not a lot of mediators. There’s you and Gil and Uma or Mal on a good day. That’s it.”

“We’re so _unbalanced_ ,” Ben moaned, shuddering against Chad’s side. “And you were- you _were_ glue, Kit, and then I let him r-rip you away.” He buried his head against Chad’s shoulder, tears staining Chad’s light blue sweater. “I’m sorry. I’m _so_ sorry. I’m sorry.”

Chad, who had never actually expected to receive this apology, let alone remorse for the way he was cast out, felt entirely overwhelmed. 

“Stop apologizing,” he ordered, running a hand down Ben’s back. “The past is behind us, there’s nothing we can do about it now.”

“I know-” Ben squeezed his eyes shut. “I know I don’t deserve your f-forgiveness-”

“You’ll have it, one day,” Chad said, and knew that much was true. “Honestly, before this retreat, I thought you already had it, but apparently I’m still pissed off at you guys.”

“R-Rightfully so,” Ben said, dabbing at his cheeks and thanking Doug quietly with a light flush that Chad knew wasn’t from tears. 

Which was _definitely_ something to look into later.

“Charmer,” Chad sighed, pressing a kiss against Ben’s hair and wishing he didn’t so greatly enjoy the way the king’s breath caught, like it was something he wanted. “Now just- hold on. Doug-” Chad reached out to grab his husband’s hand, pressing a kiss to it so that he knew that despite all this insanity Chad really _was_ dedicated to him. “Could you get Ben on the bed? We may as well all cry together.”

“Cry?” Ben echoed after he flushed at the mention of _beds_ (still so predictable, and Chad despaired for this man). “Is Evie okay?”

“Sort of,” Chad said, because that wasn’t a lie, and then he forced himself into action while Ben felt inclined to let him go. 

When he opened the office door, Evie and Gil were curled right next to it, looking up at him with wide, wet eyes.

“How much of that did you hear?” Chad asked out of curiosity.

Gil sniffed. “Most of it?”

“Good.” That meant Chad wouldn’t have to repeat it. “Come on.”

Doug and Ben were still in the process of awkwardly navigating each other when Chad returned with Gil and Evie, Ben’s gaze going wide at the sight of his sorrowful fiancé. This threatened to turn into guilt before Chad smacked his arm, snapping Ben out of it with a surprised jolt.

“Don’t start that now,” Chad ordered, shoving Ben into Doug’s arms (mostly because the way they flushed around each other was pretty great) before letting Gil climb onto the bed in front of Chad, allowing the other blond to curl against Ben’s chest. Chad settled down next to him, leaving Evie curled against him on the outside until they were one big cuddle pile.

“Alright,” Chad said when they were all relatively settled. “Let’s just accept the fact right now that we are _all_ dumb humans who have at some point made a bad choice. And while we could dwell on these past choices, that won’t help us, so let’s just try to do better going forward.”

“Well said,” Evie whispered, her fingers curling into the fabric of Chad’s shirt.

“I have my moments,” Chad hummed.

“Lots of them,” Gil sniffed. “I watch all of your interviews.”

Ben let out a watery chuckle. “…me too,” he whispered. “I’ve read every piece of legislature you’ve written. I um… may have bribed your law school professors into letting me read your essays.”

“ _Benjamin_ ,” Chad gasped in mock outrage to cover up the flustered feeling of attention. “Such abuses of power.”

“ _Minor_ abuses,” Ben pressed, still laughing. “They’re all happy to do a favor for the king.”

“A favor I then had to follow up with non-disclosure agreements.” Uma’s voice carried from the balcony door, preluding the captain’s appearance, Jay lingering behind her. “So they didn’t realize how _not_ over Kit you were.”

“First of all,” Chad said before Ben could stumble through a response. “This is a place of non-argument, so if you came here for that-”

“Fuck no,” Uma said, making a face. “I came here for cuddles.” She followed this comment up by crossing to Doug’s side of the bed, curling around the flustered dwarf-kin until she could press a kiss against his shoulder. “Hey, stud.”

Jay was a little slower to approach the bed, deciding to settle down behind Evie after she gave him an approving nod. “…you guys gonna be jealous of that?”

“Jealous of someone appreciating Doug?” Chad asked, considering the question and Jay’s proximity carefully. “Fuck no.”

“Doug is _lovely_ ,” Evie murmured, her gaze fixed on her first fiancé, which was why she likely missed the slight tension that gripped Jay for all of a second before he let it go.

 _Interesting_.

“Hi, Evie,” Jay murmured, wrapping an arm around the princess’s waist. 

Evie shuddered into the contact, though her responding flush could likely be attributed to her bout of tears. “…hi, Jay.”

Because some people were _extra_ , Mal did not so much bother to use the door as she did teleport herself and Harry directly into the room, the two of them appearing in a swirl of purple smoke before they were overtaken with looks of surprise by what awaited them on the bed.

“No,” Chad said before their looks could shift into those of anger. “This is cuddle time. No yelling.”

It seemed that the only way to interrupt a Harry Hook rampage was to refuse to indulge in it entirely. The first mate paused and then, after sharing a look with Mal, shrugged.

“Ye heard the man,” he said, and that was all the warning he gave before he climbed up the foot of the bed, wrapping himself around Chad’s back. 

It was something Chad was allowed to process for a second before Mal climbed onto the bed as well, gaze lit with determination as she forced herself between Chad and Evie, until she was facing the tearful princess.

“Sorry,” she whispered, cupping Evie’s face carefully so she could wipe the tears away. “I’m sorry I was such a giant asshole, Evie. I was just mad that you got to love Kit and I couldn’t. That…”

“Oh, sweet evil,” Uma drawled. “Just _say_ it already.”

“I’m getting there,” Mal snapped, shoulders hunching with a certain defensiveness.

“No fighting,” Chad reminded them, and that seemed to be all that was needed before the wind completely left Mal’s sails.

“Okay,” Mal said, more as an effort to collect herself than anything else. “Okay, so… um. I was- I was mad that you got to love Kit, but I was… I was also upset that Kit got to love _you_. So.” She let her head dip down, avoiding Evie’s gaze. “Sorry.”

It took Evie a few seconds to process this information, though when she did she was sobbing again, surging forward to wrap herself around Mal.

Which did not seem to be a response Mal was expecting, if the panicked look she shared with Jay was any indication.

“She loves you too, dumbass,” Uma drawled, grin pulling at her lips. “This is why Mal didn’t like Doug for so long. She was _jealous_.”

While Uma seemed to have taken the information well, Chad was sure to check the others, and surprisingly found that none of them really… reacted.

“We already knew that,” Harry whispered. “She wasn’t exactly subtle.”

“ _I_ didn’t know that,” Chad huffed, feeling a low sting of neglect flare up again. “When-”

“It didn’t really become obvious until after you left,” Harry explained. “Elsewise, ye would have known.”

Chad wondered how much that was really true, and then realized he didn’t really have any ground to stand on, considering how very little he had told the others over the course of their engagement. 

To be fair, he’d thought it was the right thing to do at the time. So.

“Okay,” Chad said, mentally resetting himself. It felt good to be in Harry’s arms again, but there were conditions to accepting this affection that needed to be addressed. “Why don’t we finally talk things out now, without yelling?”

“That sounds good,” Jay said, looking uncharacteristically subdued as he watched Evie and Mal hold onto each other. 

“Okay,” Chad repeated. “I’m gonna tell you guys a few more unfortunate truths and you’re going to listen.” Might as well do this while they were all in one place. “You suck at communicating. It wasn’t something I realized until I started dating Evie and Doug, but you guys _suck_ at it. Which is rich, coming from _me_ but like- you each have a tendency to get absorbed in projects and lose track of other things, so try _not_ to do that. Also-” He waved a hand towards Ben and Gil. “Give these assholes a break. They are your only mediators. Also, they _cannot_ be your only mediators, otherwise shit like _this_ happens.”

“I um- have a proposal,” Gil sniffed, raising his hand up tentatively. “To fix that.”

“Go for it, Gilly,” Harry said, offering the blond a supportive grin.

It prompted a watery smile in turn. “Right. I um- I think we should invite Kit, Evie, and Doug to join us, and that way, we’d have more reasonable people,” he explained the same way he had that first morning at the lodge. “But also, they should join us because we love them a lot, and being without them is awful. The end.”

It wasn’t that simple, but Chad still found himself letting out a watery laugh at the sound of it. It was a lovely thing, one he couldn’t have, but still nice.

Ben took a breath, and Chad waited for the king to explain all the reasons why that wouldn’t work, how the public would be confused after Chad had been so carefully cut out of their relationship, and then, “I think that’s a great plan.”

Chad actually _sat_ up, but Harry followed him – the stubborn shit.

Ben met his gaze without apology. “It _is_ a great plan.”

“It’s not that easy,” Chad said, hating that _he_ had to be the one to say this when he wanted it for so long. “The media-”

“Fuck ‘em,” Ben said, channeling Mal in her purest form, and Chad was so honestly thrown by it that he started laughing.

And maybe didn’t stop.

He collapsed into Harry’s arms, tears surging at the corners of his eyes before they started to trail down his cheeks, before his trails of hysteria shifted into wet, broken sobs that had the others sitting up.

“I can’t-” he gasped. “I can’t _do_ this again. I don’t- you can’t draw me in just to cut me loose-”

“We won’t,” Harry promised, pressing warm kisses against his curls. “Never again, Kitten. We would never be stupid enough to do it twice.”

“B-But,” Chad could barely manage to catch his breath, was grateful for Evie and Mal’s firm support as they gathered around his other side. “W-We’re still an odd number.”

“And we’ll be a _delightfully_ odd number,” Uma pledged, holding Doug close to her as though daring for anyone to say differently. “And if you’re worried about backlash, _fuck_ Duke Adam. He didn’t want one extra royal in our relationship – fuck ‘em, now we’ve got _two_.”

“You don’t…” Doug flushed, staring steadfastly at his lap. “You don’t have to include me. I know most of you don’t-” He was interrupted by _Ben_ grabbing his jaw, pulling him into a kiss that definitely made Chad’s heart flutter and then, when he finally pulled away, Uma swooped in to claim Doug’s lips as well.

“ _Ours_ ,” Uma hissed, clutching onto both of them as her gaze drifted over the others. “You’re _ours_ whether you marry us or not. Or fuck marriage, we can just be a polygamous mess forever.”

“No, we’re getting married,” Mal said, eyes shining with determination. “I wanna stand in front of the entire world and dedicate myself to you guys.”

The declaration had Evie gasping, happy tears that Jay was so very careful to wipe away, the princess leaning into his comfort while Mal watched on in happiness.

“This… this isn’t going to be easy,” Chad pressed, because it needed to be said, because he was weathered now. “We’ll have to work for it – harder than we did before. We need to learn how to better communicate our needs and communicate in general and… and I’ve got depression.” It didn’t hurt as much to say now. “Apparently, it runs in my family.” His father had succumbed to major bouts of it for years, as had his grandmother, before she’d finally taken her own life. “So… some days are harder for me than others, and there’s a chance any of you might have something like that-”

“Then we’ll address it,” Ben said, cuddling Gil close to him, the blond seeming determined to wrap himself around Ben, Doug, _and_ Uma. “Everything you said needs to be done, Kit, and we’ll take care of it but for now… for _this_ moment, let’s just… be together.”

“ _Please_ ,” Gil whispered, nuzzling Ben’s shoulder.

And. Well.

He did ask nicely. Chad figured at this point they’d earned a little reprieve.

Harry’s lips agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That’s it, folks!!! Thank you guys so much for your support throughout the course of this series. I wasn’t sure how a Chad-centric AU would be received, and I’m very grateful for the onslaught of enthusiasm and love you guys have offered me. Seriously, thank you so much, you make it a real pleasure to write for Descendants ^_^
> 
> If you’re looking for your next Chad fix, the first chapter of my next story, ['Practice Makes Perfect Mistakes'](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24524725/chapters/59211367) will be posted shortly. It’s proof that I actually can write a non-poly fic! 
> 
> Like… just the one, but I did it ;)
> 
> Story Notes:
> 
> Yeah, those marriage vows were totally made up, for real. I tried to make something that sounded respectably dwarf-like. Because of this, I decided that Dwarven marriages are completed upon an exchange of vows regardless of whether there is an officiant there or not. Such are my made-up rules ^_^ 
> 
> I based the naming convention ‘Douglass, son of Dopey’ based on the way Tolkien’s dwarves introduced themselves.
> 
> Didn’t even know green gold was a thing until I was researching options for their rings. I now share this knowledge with you!
> 
> WARNING – The reference is about five lines before the end of the story. When you get to the line:
> 
> “This… this isn’t going to be easy,” Chad pressed, because it needed to be said, because he was weathered now.’
> 
> Look for this dialogue later - “Apparently, it runs in my family.” And skip the inner narration after that – that’s where the reference is.
> 
> Until next time :)
> 
> -:-:-:-:-:-
> 
> ‘Joy and sorrow never last, I’ll die trying not to live in the past. If you knew my story, my heaven and my hell. If you knew my story, you’d have a good story to tell.’ – ‘If You Knew My Story’ from the musical ‘Bright Star’.


End file.
